Lexicon of Tiddlywinks

*

*¹ symbol (NATwA) • current • nickname of NATwA winker, Sunshine (David Sheinson).

• July 1977 • Cornell Alumni News (Ithaca, New York USA; page 25) • ⌞His opponent, known in winkdom mysteriously by the single appellation “Sunshine” had won his right to challenge by taking the North American title.⌟

*² symbol • current • asterisk, the symbol for a potout on a scoresheet.

• 1 November 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞The keen reader will notice that there are quite a lot of asterisks!⌟ — by Patrick Barrie

1

11 Khartoum Road n (ETwA) • historical • the name of an ETwA team.

etymology • Named after the address of ETwA winker Alan Dean's residence in Highfield, Southampton, England UK starting after 26 August 1971.

A

A Team n (NATwA) • current • a team playing for a club with winkers that have the best winking experience, expertise, and likely performance. Compare to B Team, C Team.

AGM n (ETwA) • current • An annual meeting held by ETwA.

abbreviation for • Annual General Meeting

• 17 October 1994 • alt.games.tiddlywinks (Internet) • ⌞On the evening of the 29th October will be the AGM of the English Tiddlywinks Association (ETwA).⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

AGS n (ETwA) • historical • A school tiddlywinks team from Altrincham, Cheshire, England throughout the 1960s. The school had a prominent boys team and also a girls team.

abbreviation for • Altrincham Grammar School

web link • Official website.

• October 1972 • Winks Rampant • The Development of Modern Tiddlywinks • 1957-1958 • ⌞ In May 1958 Altrincham Grammar School (AGS) was organising a contest which attracted 64 entries, including 10 masters and most of the prefects; Nick Ludlow and Ken Veitch were the founders of the AGS Tw Foundation which was soon experimenting with spin shots et al. ⌟ — by Guy Consterdine (ETwA)

agt n • now rare • The Usenet group for tiddlywinks postings.

abbreviation for • alt.games.tiddlywinks

air shot n • current • a shot in which the squidger is held in the air above the wink to be shot rather than resting on it. Were the squidger to rest on the wink before shooting, the winks in the pile below the shot wink are likely to move unintentionally, thereby constituting a shot.

Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents n (NATwA) • the title of a publication written and compiled by NATwA winker Sunshine, published in February 1976, that describes the rules for playing variant tiddlywinks games (perversions).

etymology • The name is derived from Allegheny (note “e” rather than “a”) Airlines, an airline company (which became USAir, then US Airways, and later merged with American Airlines).

web link • Online edition.

Alliance n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team that played in the 1980s.

• 14 February 1981 • Newswink (Silver Spring, Maryland; number 12) • ⌞For the record, the newly-formed Alliance won handily with 54 1/2 points.⌟ — by Fred Shapiro (NATwA)

alt.games.tiddlywinks n • now rare • name of the original Usenet newsgroup for tiddlywinks on the Internet.

abbreviated as • agt

dates used includes • Created by ETwA winker Julian Porter on 21 January 1993.

web link • alt.games.tiddlywinks archive.

• 21 January 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞Well, here we are, alt.games.tiddlywinks is now in business, so there.⌟ — by Julian Porter

Altrinham coffin n (ETwA) • now obscure • the area near the pot where winks are very likely to be squopped.

dates used includes • Early 1960s.

etymology • Coined by winkers at the Altrincham Grammar School in Altrincham, Cheshire in the north of England.

• February 1959 • (unknown British newspaper, cited in Winking World 4, October 1963) (England) • ⌞ ‘There is an area around the pot known as the Altrincham Coffin where the possibility of being squopped is particularly likely, and this area should be avoided.’⌟ ((as printed in Winking World 4, October 1963))

amigos n (ETwA) • now obscure • the act of swallowing a pint of a drink in one gulp. Compare to sideways amigos.

dates used includes • 1980s

etymology • Used by CUTwC winkers.

• October 1992 • Winking World (number 59, page 32) • ⌞I had my first kebab from the Oasis, my first amigos, and my first sight of someone trying to walk away from a party while attempting to conceal a beer barrel under a jacket clearly unsuited to the purpose. ⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

Annual General Meeting n (ETwA) • current • a yearly meeting of the members of a tiddlywinks association or club/team during which key topics are discussed and decisions are made. Compare to congress.

abbreviated as • AGM

approach shot n • current • a shot aimed at placing a wink at a particular position on the mat, sometimes near a target pile or the pot, without an intent to squop.

• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M6) • ⌞Two strokes more readily mastered are the approach shot and the short putt.⌟

area n • current • a region on the mat that is dominated by the winks of, or containing squops or piles chiefly controlled by one color or partnership, into which an opponent is usually reluctant to venture.

• 13 February 1982 • Newswink (number 14) • ⌞They fight there nonetheless and actually manage to take over the area.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

ARW n (NATwA) • historical

abbreviation for • Association of Retired Winkers

dates used includes • Mid-1970s.

etymology • Originated by NATwA winker Carl Chenkin.

• February 1975 • The Missing Wink (number 3) • ⌞In April 1971, Carl “Spike” Chenkin, one of the original Juggernauts (and founders of the ARW), considered defecting from HYTH and organizing a new squad.⌟

Association of Retired Winkers n (NATwA) • historical • a notional organization of winkers who have retired from actively playing the game.

abbreviated as • ARW

dates used includes • mid-1970s

etymology • Originated by NATwA winker Carl Chenkin.

asterisk = *

ATWA or ATwA n • current

abbreviation for • Australian Tiddlywinks Association

dates used includes • Formed in January 2019.

web link • Facebook page.

• retrieved 3 February 2019 • Facebook • ⌞Anyone fancy a ‘wink... Welcome to ATWA, the Australian Tiddlywinks Association.⌟

autoboondock (NATwA) • now rare = boondock²

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 14) • ⌞This week's perversion is Boondock, not the game we all know, and perhaps love, but a new form of the old Boondock, which by decree will henceforth and forevermore be called Autoboondock, for reasons which will soon be clear.⌟

autosquop (ETwA) • obsolete = sub, ULU

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 2) • ⌞sub or submarine v.t. or v.i. To shoot a wink (usually one's own) under another. In England called an autosquop or ULU.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

B

B Team n (NATwA) • current • a winking team at a tier below the experience and performance levels of the primary, or A, team of a club or university. Compare to A Team, C Team.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 6) • ⌞There were no B-teams, and winks activity mainly centered around “club play[“], rather than at matches.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

backhand adj • current • a winks shot in which the back of the hand holding the squidger faces the direction of the wink shot.

backstop n • current • a wink, pile, or the pot that is hit, usually intentionally, by a wink in motion and that slows or stops the wink in motion.

Bancroft's School n (ETwA) • historical • the name of an ETwA pre-collegiate tiddlywinks team in the early 1960s; the school is located in Woodford Green, Essex, in England.

web link • School website.

baseline or base line n • current • a line near each of the four corners of the mat behind which winks are placed at the beginning of a game. This line is perpendicular to each diagonal of the mat and is three feet from the center of the mat.

• April 1965 • ETwA publication (number E3, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Imagine that we draw lines from the centre of the mat to each corner (the diagonals), and mark on the mat lines at right angles to those diagonals three feet along each diagonal. These lines are the base lines⌟
• circa 1967 • The Rules of Tiddlywinks • ⌞The base lines, to be marked at each corner of the mat, are straight lines crossing the mat’s diagonals at right angles 3 feet from their mid-point.⌟

baseline pot n (ETwA) = potting game • a tiddlywinks perversion where squopping the opponent is not allowed. If squopping happens accidentally, the winks are desquopped.

baseline squop n (ETwA) • current • shooting a wink from behind the baseline in the corner of the mat and squopping a wink in play.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 34) • ⌞I was particularly smug about a baseline squop onto a wink of Alan’s—on the far side of the pot⌟

Beady n (ETwA) • historical • onetime nickname of ETwA winker Geoff Myers.

beaker n (ETwA) • deprecated = pot¹

etymology • Used by ETwA’s Hull Guildhall team in 1962.

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 11) • ⌞Scrunged: when a counter bounces out of the beaker.⌟

Betty's Boys n (ETwA) • historical • the name of a team formed by Stew Sage and Richard Moore, first appearing in the ETwA Teams of Four in 1988 (earlier known as “Sideways Amigos”).

Biden n (ETwA) • a tournament format in which winkers in one division play against winkers in another division. Compare to Palin.

etymology • Named after Julian Biden, ETwA winker; also associated with Vice President Joe Biden in contrast with Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin who ran in the 1988 United States presidential election.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 48) • ⌞But here’s the thing: with the Biden/bailout format, we have a direct comparison of the strengths of the two leagues, because one league has played against the other.⌟ — by Matt Fayers

big n (NATwA) • current • a large wink, measuring 22 mm (7/8 inch) in diameter Also adj.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (Somerville, Massachusetts; page 12, column 1) • ⌞The 2" plexi-glass sharp monster for pile busting and potting nurdled big winks is impressive just lying there.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)
• 13 February 1982 • Newswink (Silver Spring, Maryland; number 14, page 13, column 1) • ⌞At the critical point Larry has 5 trivial blues and one big nurdled, 1/8".⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

Big Mama n (NATwA) • current • a large, two-inch wide, thick squidger used by Larry Kahn and made of polyvinyl chloride plastic.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11) • ⌞ I prefer thin squidgers for most shots, regular squidgers for large winks further than a foot or smalls further than two feet, and big mama for small nurdled winks.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

Big Six n (NATwA) • current • the six major championships: NATwA Singles, NATwA Pairs, ETwA Singles, ETwA Pairs, World Singles, and World Pairs (prior to ScotTwA’s arrival on the scene with the Scottish Pairs in the early 1990s).

• 4 September 1994 • Washington Post (Washington DC) • ⌞If baseball has the World Series, tiddlywinks has the Big Six, a fierce but honorable group of tournaments that sifts the truly sublime from the merely magnificent. ⌟ — by Ed Schneider
• July 2017 • Winking World (number 101, page 27) • ⌞This was my first US title from four attempts, two each in their Singles and Pairs, and it leaves the NATwA Singles as the one of the Big Six that I have never won.⌟ — by Alan Dean (ETwA)

birthday present n (NATwA) • current • an opponent play that results in an unexpectedly easy shot for a gain.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞birthday or Christmas present—an unexpected stroke of good fortune, such as a bad shot by an opponent⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

BIT n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA tournament that typically was held in the Spring; or, generically, any tournament with a format involving teams led by designated team captains who select winkers for those teams on the spot from available winkers attending the tournament.

abbreviation for • Boston Invitational Tournament

dates used includes • The BIT tournament was held from 1970 to 1987

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞BIT. HYTHBYTE 154½ MIT 97½. The first annual Boston Invitational Tourney was held at MIT on the weekend of April 25th. ⌟
• 5 July 1978 • Written Word (Somerville, Massachusetts) • ⌞One spectator at the BIT to another: “Their tournaments are boring, but their practice Is good.”⌟ — by Joe Sachs (NATwA)

blitz n • current • an attempt to pot out early in a game and when opponent winks are not under control. Also vi.

etymology • From the term “blitz” used in military operations and adopted by some sports to mean a sudden or surprising attempt to attack. Blitz is derived from the German word, “Blitzkrieg”, meaning “rapid attack”.

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞Playing a four-color game against Bill Renke, he was in the process of blitzing his opponent when after having potted two winks, missed his third, landing it within half a wink of enemy blue.⌟
• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 1) • ⌞The multitudes who jammed the MIT student center were treated to a potpourri of winks action which included blitzes, a tie, game-winning three foot pots and everyone’s favorite, long, drawn-out rounds.⌟
• January 1977 • Cornell Alumni News (Ithaca, New York USA; page 25) • ⌞He quickly set up a solid defensive zone and established the very real threat than he would “blitz”—pot out one of his colors early in the game.⌟

blowup or blow-up n • current • a shot, usually forceful, that separates winks in a pile. Also blow vt.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞This game looked interesting for a while, as we managed to collect five of Nick’s reds into a pile, but Nick blew the pile nicely, and wasn’t in much trouble from then on.⌟ — by Andy Purvis

blunt adj (NATwA) • uncommon • describing a round-edged squidger such as those that were provided in sets made by Marchant Games in the 1960s and 1970s. Contrast with sharp squidger. Compare to sharp.

dates used includes • coined 30 July 1994.

etymology • Coined by NATwA winker Daniel Sachs at the 1994 Individual Pairs in Wheaton, Maryland USA.

• 8 December 1997 • Newswink (number 29) • ⌞whereupon Dan Sachs (Josef Tobias Sachs fils) talked of Lock-zilla vs. King Kahn and coined the term “blunts” for non-sharp squidgers.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

board n (Charles Relle) • uncommon = table, mat

Bob-rookie strategy n (NATwA) • current • a strategy of focusing predominantly on squopping the better player of an opponent partnership, while ignoring the weaker player, usually applied when the difference in skill is great.

etymology • Named after NATwA winker Bob Henninge, who often plays with novice winkers.

• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia; number 26, page 7, column 2) • ⌞Handicap tournaments give newcomers an even chance and compensate veterans in Bob-rookie situations.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

Bobbin'Bull n (NATwA) • historical • onetime nickname of MIT winking partners Bob Henninge and Ferd Wulkan

etymology • A combination of "Bob" from Bob Henninge's name, and "Bull" from Ferd Wulkan’s nickname as Ferdinand the Bull.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞PAIRS TOURNAMENT. Battle of the Century! featuring BOBBIN’ BULL vs D. Q. HORSE vs VILLAR-DRIX MONSTER and many more of the all time greats !!!!⌟

bomb n • current • a shot that sends a wink toward a target pile, usually from a distance, with the objective of knocking one or more winks out of the pile. Also vt.

• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞Stephen Goldberg (above) of Brown aims a “squidge” or “long bomb.”⌟
• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 4) • ⌞Red’s effective dive-bomb in round 7 worsened the opponents’ chances.⌟
• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Nearly squopped up, Richard attempted to save the day with an over-the-pot bomb, but the Seventh Cavalry charged straight into the pot by mistake.⌟ — by Andy Purvis

Bombay Bowl n (ETwA) • current • a tournament involving the four “home unions” in Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland) that is now lapsed.

dates used includes • Starting 1 May 1960.

etymology • The name was a play on “Calcutta Cup”, an England-Scotland Rugby Football match.

• October 1960 • Winking World (number 0, page 2) • ⌞“The Bombay Bowl”. Presented by Arthur Guinness Son and Co. for annual competition between representative teams from England, Scotland and Wales.⌟

Bonham recording system n (ETwA) • now rare • a method and notation for documenting the shots and results of a tiddlywinks game formulated by ETwA winker Patrick Bonham.

• 1964 • ETwA E2 (page 1) • ⌞Key to the Bonham Recording System⌟
• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 4) • ⌞A RECORDING SYSTEM FOR TIDDLYWINKS by Patrick Bonham, Hon. Vice-Pres. of ULU Tw Club.⌟ — by Patrick Bonham (ETwA)

boon n (NATwA) • current = boondock¹ Also vt.

etymology • Contraction of the term boondock. First used in 1985 by ETwA winker Devlin.

• 22 November 1986 • Newswink (number 22) • ⌞Whereas most words in the winking lexicon are most assuredly English, boondock is an American contribution. Yet while we clip the word to boon, the Cambrians take the other tack and dock their opponents‘ winks!⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

boondock¹ n • current • a shot in which a squopped wink is freed and comes to rest far from the center of action in a game, or is sent off the mat. Also vt.

dates used includes • Starting around 1971.

etymology • First used by NATwA winkers. Derived from the term boondock originally adopted by American military troops in the Philippines in the 1910s, which was based on the Tagalog word, bundok, meaning mountain, or a remote location.

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞PHIL BOONDOCKED!⌟ — by Bill Renke
• February 1975 • The MIssing Wink • ⌞As * said later, they were “as hot as ice”; poor Gammer strangled in his scarf as his team subbed and piled themselves into blissful surrender, and * potted out his opponents,while boondocking himself off the mat.⌟
• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞boondock—to shoot (a wink) far from the scene of action or off the mat. Incidentally, winkers who graduate & move away from the centers of activity are said to be ‘boondocked.’⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

boondock² n (NATwA) • current • a perversion (variant of tiddlywinks) in which the goal is to pot all of a color’s winks, and when a wink is squopped, it is returned to its baseline.

web link • See the rules in the publication Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

• February 1976 • Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents • ⌞Boondock can also be played without partners with any number of winkers. Same rules apply except that play continues to determine second, third, etc.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

boondock and squop n (NATwA) • current = John Lennon Memorial Shot • a shot that produces two results: a wink is boondocked, and the first wink shot comes to rest on another wink, squopping it.

• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia; number 26, page 11, column 1) • ⌞Boondock and squop—The usual mistake here is to have the squidger coming down from the wrong angle. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA))

boondocked n • current • said of a winker who lives or has traveled far away from locations where tiddlywinks is avidly played.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 7) • ⌞True, few players leave NATwA unless they are boondocked (and even some of them return for a few matches)⌟

bounce-in n • current • a wink that bounces on the mat before entering and coming to rest in the pot.

• 24 September 1988 • Newswink (number 23) • ⌞Larry’s bounce-in of his sixth green wink in the third game gave Larry a psychological lift and the lead.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

bounce-out vi • current • to shoot a wink that enters the pot, hits the interior of the pot or a wink inside the pot, and comes out of the pot. Also n.

• January 1961 • Winking World (number 1, page 4) • ⌞This was a very exciting match, perhaps the best of the whole Tournament, and only a wink bouncing out of the pot at a crucial moment prevented Walton and Whittaker winning.⌟
• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞This time the wink bounced out of the pot.⌟ — by Andy Purvis

brace n (Charles Relle) • uncommon = bridge • two winks close together that can easily be squopped. Also vt.

dates used includes • 1961 or before.

etymology • First used by ETwA winker John Furlonger.

bridge¹ vt • to shoot a wink to squop two winks, neither of which are squopping the other.

• 22 November 1986 • Newswink (number 20) • ⌞Like coming over the pot to bridge the edge of a pile and the defending wink from 18 inches away.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

bridge² n • a pile in which two winks are bridged.

• 1984 • A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (number 8th edition) • ⌞bridge, v.t. and n. To cover further winks of the opponent’s colours with a wink that is already covering at least one.⌟ — by Eric Partridge; Paul Beale (In appendix written by ETwA's Cyril Edwards.)

bring-in n • current • a squidge-in or an approach shot from a distance.

• 21 November 1987 • Newswink (number 21) • ⌞Alan deserved to be ahead, having dominated the bring-in in both games.⌟ — by Jon Mapley (ETwA)

Bristol or bristol n • current • a gromp shot in which the face of the squidger is held predominantly perpendicular to the wink being played, and roughly parallel to the intended direction of the shot. Also vt.

etymology • From University of Bristol in England, where the shot originated.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2) • ⌞While everyone knows each other to some degree (she can’t pot in rounds, or he can bristol 270 degrees) how much do you really know about that person who is standing next to you (and I don’t mean what size shoe he wears)? ⌟
• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞Bristol—an effective gromp (q.v.), developed at Bristol U., in which the squidger is held perpendicular to the pile and parallel to the line of the flight.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

Bristol Good or bristol good n (NATwA) • current = Cambridge Good • a shot in which the squidger is positioned on a wink or pile and shot in the style of a Bristol, with the intent that the wink or pile will dislodge winks in a separate pile as in a Good shot.

etymology • Named by combining a Bristol shot and a Good shot.

• 29 September 1990 • Newswink (number 25, page 9, column 1) • ⌞Over the last few years, the bristol good shot was developed.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

bristollable adj • current • said of a pile or squop in which the winks are positioned suitably for executing a successful Bristol shot.

• April 2007 • Winking World (number 87, page 36) • ⌞Andy accepted that he couldn’t catch red, and snooved himself more bristollable.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard, with help from Patrick Barrie (ETwA)

brunch n (ETwA) • current • to inadvertently pot when trying to go over the pot. Also vi, vt. Compare to lunch.

etymology • The term was invented by ETwA winker Paul Moss as part of a competition in Winking World; related to lunch.

brundle vi (ETwA) • current • to shoot an unsquopping (free) wink a short distance without intending to achieve any actual positional improvement, resulting in a minor adjustment of the wink's position.

dates used includes • At least in 2019.

note • Used by Patrick Barrie during World Pairs 45 on 20 July 2019.

• 21 January 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞Happy brundling,⌟ — by Patrick Barrie (ETwA)
• retrieved 10 May 2020 • CUTwC.org: A lexicon of tiddlywinks terms • ⌞Brundle (v.i., v.t. [of a wink or pile]). A shot with minimal positional effect, played in a turn when there is nothing urgent to do. ("Just brundle until we know what they're doing.")⌟

bucket n (ETwA) • now rare = pot

• November 1991 • Winking World (number 55, page 21, column 1) • ⌞After a number of tortuous positional shots with the sixth, he decided the only safe place was in the bucket, where he promptly put it.⌟ — by Tony Brennan (ETwA)
• 23 January 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞While, yes, you can win by getting *all* your winks into the bucket (or "pot"), you must make sure that you get them all straight in, without ever missing.⌟ — by Anthony J. R. Heading (ETwA)

butt n • current • a shot where a wink hits the edge of a target wink, intending to knock the target wink off a pile or further away. Also vt.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞butt—to knock (a wink) on or off a pile by shooting another wink at it on a low trajectory.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• prior to 24 October 1994 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞One on one squops tended to butt somewhat more, and it might be more difficult to get height for jumping on large piles.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)
• 25 August 2000 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞The distance where I have difficulty is in-between, where it is too far to hop on, and too close to bounce once, so the winks just butt off each other.⌟ — by Tim Hunt (ETwA)

butt under vt • current • a shot, sometimes intentional, which instead of squopping a targeted wink, nudges it under an existing pile.

BYOTT n (NATwA) • historical • a one-time NATwA tournament held in May 1972.

abbreviation for • Bring Your Own Table Tournament

C

C team n (NATwA) • now rare • a winking team at a tier below the experience and performance levels of the A and B teams playing for a club or university. Compare to A Team, B Team.

calypso n (ETwA) • a shot (usually a squop) that involves (deliberately or not) bouncing off the side of the pot onto a target wink.

• October 1990 • Winking World (number 56, page 10, column 1) • ⌞In round one the players developed two clearly delineated areas either side of the pot, interrupted only by Andy’s baseline calypso squop with red (calypso: get dat squop off de base of de pot). ⌟ — by Geoff Myers (ETwA)

Cambridge blue n (ETwA) • historical • a pale turquoise (also known as duck-egg green) colored set of winks and squidger that came in tiddlywinks sets published by Marchant Games in the late 1960s; this color was provided instead of blue ones, which were missing from these sets.

• April 2007 • Winking World (number 87, page 14) • ⌞Father and son Steve and Ari Umans were also first time winkers; Steve was an MIT student at Burton House in the late 1960s (though he didn’t wink at that time) and showed all present his ‘Cambridge Blue’ winks set from those times.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

Cambridge Good n (ETwA) • current = Bristol Good

• 10 May 2018 • [email protected] • ⌞Note the illegal Cambridge Good shot.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

Cambridge Open n (ETwA) • current • an ETwA tournament, similar to an Individual Pairs but not so systematic; partners and opponents are drawn completely randomly each round. The winker with the highest ppg is deemed the winner.

• 20 June 1990 • email from Andy Purvis to Rick Tucker • ⌞WW54 also includes the ratings as of the 1990 Cambridge Open.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

Canadian Pairs n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA pairs tournament held in Canada in 1973 and 1974.

Cannonball n (NATwA) • historical • onetime nickname of Bill Renke in the early 1970s.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞In the Long Time No See Department, Bill “Cannonball” Renke played his first tournament game without a partner since winning the triple crown in 1973, due to his team having only five warm bodies capable of holding a squidger.⌟

carno or Carno n (NATwA) • current = Carnovsky

etymology • Contraction of the term Carnovsky.

Carnovsky¹ or carnovsky vi (NATwA) = Penhaligon • to pot a wink from a corner of the mat, usually during a squidge-in of an unplayed wink at the baseline. Also vt.

etymology • Named after Steve Carnovsky, Harvard winker in 1962, popularized in Life magazine’s December 14 issue.

Carnovsky² or carnovsky n (NATwA) = Penhaligon • a shot in which a wink was Carnovskied.

• 20 November 1962 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; volume 82, number 23, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Much credit was given by the Simmons' captain to the development of a new strategy—a memorial candle to Count Karnovsky, the inventor of the sport.⌟ — by Toby Zidle (MIT)
• 26 November 1962 • The Crimson (Cambridge, Massachusetts) • ⌞Whiteside featured the Harvard attack with two Carnovskis. (For the uninitiated, a Carnovskis, named for the man who first did it, is a hole in one, in which the wink is squidged directly into the cup from a distance of two feet.)⌟
• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122, column 2) • ⌞They perfected the crowd-pleasing “Carnovsky,” named after Steve Carnovsky, varsity candidate who sank four table-length shots in a row during fall practice.⌟
• 12 May 1963 • The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Connecticut USA; page C-9, column 4) • ⌞A "carnovsky" [(]long shot) and "to squop" (immobilize your opponents) are part of the vocabulary of tiddlywinks, which is fast replacing yo-yos and bridge as the game.⌟
• 21 November 1978 • Letter from Stephen B. Carnovsky to Rick Tucker (page 1, column 1) • ⌞Of course, I have tried in numerous other ways (which we won't go into at this time) to make my mark on an unwilling world but so far "The crowd-pleasing Carnovsky" seems to have been my most durable, public impression, thanks to Life, the NATwA and you.⌟ — by Stephen B. Carnovsky (GUTS)

Carpenter's Fan Club n (ETwA) • historical • the team name used by WETS when competing in the ETwA Teams of Four; they were 1989-1990 holders of the trophy.

carve out vt (ETwA) • current = piddle

Catford Invitation n (ETwA) • historical • an exclusive invitational tournament held at the home of Charles Relle. These winking events raised money for charity.

etymology • Catford is a district of southeast London, where Charles Relle lived.

• New Year 2005 • Winking World (number 82, page 12) • ⌞When I lived in London, I held several Catford Invitations, sometimes for eight players, occasionally for twelve, there being space for three tables, or for nine. ⌟ — by Charles Relle

Chickenhearts n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team combining the Chickens Courageous and Hearts of Oak (Cœurs de Chêne) teams.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞The match was not a close one, with newly merged Chicken Hearts, veritably bursting under the constriction of the six-player team format, out-distancing the Zoo, forebodingly under-personed, and hapless MIT, feeling the absence of Nigeria-bound team captain Charles and as yet still boondocked Fred.⌟
• May-June 1979 • Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA) • ⌞Competing were school teams from M.I.T., Cornell, Harvard, Boston University, and Ithaca High School, and various club teams, such as the Renaissance team, the Zoo team, and the Chickenhearts.⌟

Chickens n (NATwA) • historical = Chickens Courageous

Chickens Courageous n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed from the TKOs, led by Sunshine.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (Somerville, Massachusetts; page 11, column 1) • ⌞It began with the dramatic entrance of ths Chickens Courageous, clucking wildly and wearing their new chain uniforms.⌟

chip vt (ETwA) • current = piddle, poke • to poke a wink out from under the wink being shot, sending it nearby (rather than boondocking it).

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 18) • ⌞with green I had chipped a blue onto another blue ready for yellow to mop up; Larry then chipped a red onto these blues, and yellow gratefully squopped.⌟ — by Alan Dean

chip-out vt (ETwA) • current • a shot in which a wink is poked out from under the wink being shot, landing it nearby (rather than boondocking it) Also n.

• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 19, column 1) • ⌞Blue chips out a red.⌟ — by Ed Wynn (ETwA)
• November 2009 • Winking World (number 92, page 24) • ⌞When you’re on the squopped wink, showing a dock or chip-out can explain how the pot-out can be back on again; demonstrating how a wink is freed is much easier than trying to explain it.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)

Christmas pile n • uncommon • a pile consisting of only green and red winks.

Christmas present n • uncommon = birthday present

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞birthday or Christmas present—an unexpected stroke of good fortune, such as a bad shot by an opponent.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

Chrome Toads n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team with winkers from southeastern Ohio, also called Xenopus.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (Somerville, Massachusetts; page 11, column 2) • ⌞In their first match, the Chrome Toads nearly overcame a 17 point defecit [sic: deficit] against Toronto, at one time cutting the lead to a single point.⌟

CHYM Trophy n (NATwA) • historical • A trophy awarded to the winners of the NATwA Continentals team championship starting in 1966, donated by and originally sponsored by CHYM radio and television in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

• April 1969 • Newswink (number 1, page 1) • ⌞In 1967, the first of the North American championships was held at Waterloo, Ontario and Cornell University won the trophy presented by CHYM radio station.⌟ — by Rosie Wain (NATwA)
• April 1970 • Newswink (number 4, page 1) • ⌞On the Saturday morning, as the matches were just getting under way, Somerville's Ferdinand T. Bull said they were so confident of a win that they had left the CHYM Trophy at their home near Boston, Massachusetts. ⌟
• February 1975 • The MIssing Wink (page 4, column 1) • ⌞ Thus did the now legendary Bill Renke knock off the three top contenders and return the CHYM trophy to Canada; the Zoo by not playing, Somerville by playing against them, and Rivendell by playing for them.⌟

circular squop n (NATwA) • current = Thorpe's Ring • a pile in which all winks are squopped; rarely, a pile of two winks with this property.

• November 1976 • The Missing Wink (number 4) • ⌞Circular Squops—two wink circular squop is to remain standing, both winks considered squopped.⌟
• 26 January 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞The nominated wink rule is recognised as being fair and working in all situations so far encountered (it only can go wrong in certain Thorpe's ring/circular squop situations).⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

click off n • current • a shot in which a wink is removed from squopping another wink, where the squidger stroke stops abruptly by clicking on this other wink. Also vt.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞click off—to remove a wink from another with a shot that ends by just touching (clicking against) the wink below, not moving it.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

click shot n • current • a shot played on a wink that is squopping another wink. The squidger’s stroke on the played wink stops abruptly on this other wink, causing a sharp click sound. The other wink typically is not intended to be moved by this shot.

• Winking World (volume 93, number 93) • ⌞Bringing in a small wink off a large wink can be done with a phone-card, in the style of a click shot.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)

click-boondock vt • current • to make a shot during which the squidger first slices down through the edge of an unsquopped wink in a pile, then follows through by striking across the edge of a wink below it, boondocking that wink far away from the pile, with the squidger making a clicking sound due to hitting the top of a wink below the boondocked wink. Also n.

• 21 October 2006 • Winking World (number 85, page 5, column 1) • ⌞Matt’s next action was to click-boondock the green he was on, enabling Larry to pot the wink on the other green, and four others before missing. ⌟

climb up vi (NATwA) • current • to shoot a wink that bounces off the exterior side of the pot on its trajectory that leads into the pot.

Closet of Fame n (NATwA) • historical • a repository of tiddlywinks memorabilia in NATwA winker Bill Renke’s house.

etymology • After the term, Hall of Fame, used in many sports, such as the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Sender Herschorn. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s favourite expression is, “Got you covered, man, got you covered.” Does this rate him special mention in the NATwA Closet of Fame?⌟
• January 1977 • Cornell Alumni News (Ithaca, New York USA; page 26) • ⌞Drix’s mat, the oldest regulation mat still in use in North America, will be inducted with honors into the Closet of Fame later in the year.⌟

color order¹ n • the prescribed official order of play of winks during a game: the cycle blue, green, red, and yellow (the alphabetical order of the colors in the English language).

• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞Rosie Wain brought up the issue of color order. After some discussion it was moved that the colors be played in alphabetical order (blue, green, red, yellow) unless the pairs consent to play otherwise.⌟
• May 1974 • The Missing Wink (page 1) • ⌞Many charges were brought against Winke, including unreasonable refusal to surrender NATwA files (Newswink and statistics) for alleged security purposes, tax fraud (misuse of MITwA funds) turning back the calendar on NATwA cards, going out of color order and many other HIGH crimes.⌟

color order² n • the tactical recognition of the importance of dealing with one color rather than another because of the ramifications of the order in which those colors play. Also vi, vt.

• October 1981 • NATwA Songbook (volume 2nd edition) • ⌞Color order you to death⌟ (Line in the song, The Tale of Renaissance)
• 22 November 1986 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia USA; number 20, page 5, column 1) • ⌞Alan color-ordered me to death—keeping me at 1 free wink but never giving me a turn as he freed me onto myself from nontrivial distances—5 times in a row to create a game-ending sextuple.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

color preference n • current • the desire of winking partners to play the winks of one color partnership (typically red and blue) rather than the other; also a query made prior to the commencement of some games to determine whether any winker has a color preference.

• 16 February 1980 • Newswink (number 10) • ⌞Games to watch—Dave-Joe [ed.—with much pre-game hassle over equipment selection, color preference, you name it.].⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

comb vt • current • to remove loose fluff from a mat using a hair comb.

• 1 July 1981 • Newswink (number 13) • ⌞MP asks about durability, the new material is hard to comb, the weave might get disturbed.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

concave down adj • now rare • said of a wink on the mat whose bottom surface is concave. Compare to concave up.

etymology • Until the 1980s, nearly all winks had a slightly concave side and a slightly convex side. Concave side up was considered preferable by many winkers for most shots.

• 13 December 1979 • Tiddlywinks Photography (Cambridge, Massachusetts) • ⌞Winkers long ago discovered that shooting a wink which is concave down will give the wink less height than when concave up.⌟ — by Richard W. Tucker (NATwA) (MIT class 6.163 Strobe Project Laboratory Project Report)

concave up adj • now rare • said of a wink on the mat whose upper surface is concave. Compare to concave down.

etymology • Until the 1980s, nearly all winks had a slightly concave side and a slightly convex side. Concave side up was considered preferable by many winkers for most shots.

• March 1977 • Youth (page 48) • ⌞Even then, slight imperfections in the wink’s shape—uneven thickness, concave or convexness, curving may cause the best shot to go astray.⌟ — by Daniel Dern (NATwA)
• 13 December 1979 • Tiddlywinks Photography (Cambridge, Massachusetts) • ⌞Winkers long ago discovered that shooting a wink which is concave down will give the wink less height than when concave up.⌟ — by Richard W. Tucker (NATwA) (MIT class 6.163 Strobe Project Laboratory Project Report)

Congress n • current • an annual meeting of ETwA or NATwA members.

• 10 May 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 4, column 5) • ⌞Mr. Downes explained that the whole thing could be ironed out at the world tiddlvwink congress in Cambridge next month when a definitive set of rules would be drawn up.⌟
• 13 June 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 13, column 4) • ⌞Delegates from the major universities spent two days at this first World Tiddlywinks Congress formulating the rules.⌟
• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4, page 1, column 3) • ⌞On the Saturday evening the annual NATwA Congress was held at Crash Hall, at which Bryon Alexandroff was elected Secretary-General for the following year and was presented with the NATwA Man of the Year Award. ⌟

constipated adj (NATwA) • current • a tactical situation in which all winks of a color (or a partnership, or all players) are busy squopping other winks and sometimes busy protecting piles.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞constipated—said of a position in which one has winks but, because they are squopping other winks, they are tied down and useless.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• 14 December 1986 • Trenton Evening Times (Trenton, New Jersey USA; page 23, column 5) • ⌞"Sometimes the game gets really constipated, where everybody is on a pile and you can't go anywhere. That's when things really get rambunctious.⌟

Continentals n (NATwA) • historical • the NATwA team championship tournament that was traditionally held in February.

dates used includes • NATwA Continentals championships were held from 1967 to 1986.

etymology • Referring to the North American continent, the domain of NATwA.

• 1971 • Newswink (number 4, page 2, column 1) • ⌞He [Mitch Wand] not only established a very large local club, but had the foresight to write to about fifty colleges in the Eastern U.S., inviting them to partake in a very well nationally publicised Continentals.⌟ — by Rosie Wain (NATwA)
• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 5) • ⌞Even at that first “Continentals”, Harvard had not been able to field a full team (which was eight in those days, as it still is in England), and when Cornell came to Harvard a week later, Harvard had only four players, plus one from Radcliffe.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)
• February 1979 • My Winkly Reader • ⌞What’s the point of having the Continentals if nobody cares about winning it?⌟

Cornell n (NATwA) • current • the name of a NATwA team representing Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

dates used includes • The Cornell tiddlywinks club was started in 1965 by Severin Drix, and has been in existence off and on ever since (as of 2022).

• 1 November 1965 • Cornell Daily Sun (page 4) • ⌞The center of an intercollegiate tiddlywinks conspiracy is developing at Cornell this fall.⌟ — by Adele S. Diamond
• 8 March 1966 • The Harvard Crimson (Cambridge, Massachusetts) • ⌞The Gargoyle Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society, which was crushed by two Canadian teams February 26 after three years without a loss pounced on a team from Cornell Saturday and mauled them 43 1/2 to 19 1/2.⌟ — by Charles F. Sabel

corner n • current • the area behind a baseline on the mat, in the corner, three feet from the center of the mat.

• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (Cambridge University; volume Appendix B, page 30) • ⌞These counters, called “tiddlywinks” are placed 3 ft. from the cup in the corners of the pitch.⌟ (This publication is also known as The Thesis)
• April 1987 • The Rules of Tiddlywinks • ⌞Blue and red are always partners against green and yellow, and partners are at diagonally opposite corners of the mat.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

counter n (ETwA) • obsolete = wink

dates used includes • 1962

etymology • Term used by ETwA’s Hull Guildhall team.

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 11, column 1) • ⌞Sponned: when an opponent kneels or stands on your counter.⌟

counter-pot n (ETwA) = counterblitz

• April 1987 • Winking World (number 52, page 2) • ⌞I stuck five from outrageous places all under attack, but then missed the sixth. Andy cleared up and counter-potted and Cyril beat Phil for our two points.⌟ — by Rob Cartwright
• June 1993 • The Squopsman (page 2) • ⌞Jon (blue) made the decision to bring in his 6th wink for the counter pot, assuming that Richard would miss his 15″ shot. Richard (green) however, managed the 7th turn pot out with ease, the long one going down on the second shot.⌟

counterblitz n • current • an attempt to blitz by an opponent of a player that already has begun to blitz.

• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 17, column 1) • ⌞Larry had a counterblitz threat, but his other colour was nowhere.⌟ — by Andy Purvis and Nick Inglis (ETwA)

cracker n (ETwA) • current = knock-off and squop • a shot that knocks a wink off another wink and then squops it.

dates used includes • 2007

etymology • A deliberately invented term when tiddlywinks was featured on a UK television programme presented by Robbie Coltrane (former star of the drama Cracker).

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 30) • ⌞And the lexicon was expanded fairly recently, with the shot previously referred to as a ‘knock-off and squop’ being christened the Cracker. ⌟ — by Matt Fayers

crimewink n • obsolete • practices violating the rules of tiddlywinks

dates used includes • 1964

etymology • a play on the word crimethink from George Orwell's 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Crimewink · Practices contravening the Rules.⌟

crotch • current • the intersection of the circumference of a wink with a wink it is squopping

Crown and Centipede n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed by Severin Drix, which included high school students and teachers.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader • ⌞Also T-shirted were the Cornell team and Crown and Centipede, making Ren, the only NATwA team with a sponsor, the only ununiformed team.⌟

crud n (ETwA) • current = blow-up Compare to megacrud.

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Crud · To bomb, or violently desquop a squabble.⌟
• October 1990 • Winking World (number 55, page 33, column 1) • ⌞Having cope[d] with all Richard’s efforts, Larry sportingly frees Richard on the pile in free turns and the resulting crud leaves five yellows and three greens free! ⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

cuddle vt (NATwA) • current • to shoot a wink close to a pile, generally within a wink’s diameter or so.

Cullingham squop n (ETwA) • current • two winks both leaning against the pot but not touching. The top wink is a big wink, the bottom wink is a small one. The big wink is squopping the small one.

etymology • Named after ETwA winker James Cullingham.

• 1 February 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞Charles Relle told me of a more intractable problem for the rules—the so-called Cullingham Squop. This consists of two winks both leaning against the pot but not touching. The top wink is a big wink, the bottom wink is a small one.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

cup n • current = pot

• 2 December 1890 • The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser (England; number 4052, page 7, column 4) • ⌞hen I see that boxes are sold containing all the necessary materials for a game of “Tiddledy Winks,” which is amusing enough, and consists, as most of us know, of a little round basin or cup, a number of counters, and two or four large round discs or counters, called “fliippers,” for with these the little counters are to be flipped into the basin, and those who flip in the most get the game.⌟
• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (Cambridge University; volume Appendix B, page 30) • ⌞The cup (a standard egg-cup 1½” high X 1¾” diam) is placed in the middle of the pitch.⌟
• 13 February 1982 • Newswink (number 14, page 10, column 1) • ⌞Moishe broke his squidger while his wink bounced another wink into the cup.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)
• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 37) • ⌞I missed a nurdled small green over the cup, leaving me with a 4, and the dreaded 22-13 lead.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

CUTwC n • current • the name of the tiddlywinks club formed in 1955 at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England, which remains active after over 65 years.

abbreviation for • Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club

• 3 May 1958 • Manchester Guardian (Manchester, England; number 34786, page 6, column 5) • ⌞Peter Downes, Hon. Sec. C.U.Tw.C.⌟ — by Peter Downes (ETwA)
• 15 May 1959 • Daily Princetonian (Princeton, New Jersey; volume 83, number 67, page 1, column 1) • ⌞The CUTWC will be here next fall with a team to play a similar team from the Princeton Tiger, the campus humor magazine.⌟ — by Frank DeFord
• 16 January 1995 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞Today, 16th January, is the 40th birthday of CUTwC and modern tiddlywinks.⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

D

dance n (NATwA) • current • the movement of a wink that is twirling around in the pot or on the mat before coming to rest.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞dance (of a wink) to wobble around on another wink, the rim of the pot, or the mat.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

Dave Taylor n (ETwA) • current = Gottesman

dates used includes • appeared in version 4 of the Lexicon of Tiddlywinks, November 1994.

etymology • Named after Dave Taylor, a CUTwC winker.

• November 2009 • (number 92, page 37, column 1) • ⌞Guilty that our game would finish long after the other, I made a hopeless attempt to Dave Taylor out of position, but fortunately failed early enough to keep a good selection of winks in play.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)
• 6 March 2020 • Varsity (Cambridge University; volume online) • ⌞Molly exclusively employed the risky “Dave Taylor” approach of potting each wink as soon as possible rather than getting embroiled in tactics, and Oxford, lacking experience, could not counter – especially with Sophie on rescue duty.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)

DB n (NATwA) • obsolete = double boondock

DC5 n (NATwA) • now obscure • the five NATwA winkers residing in the Washington DC metropolitan area at a particular point in time: Dave Lockwood, Larry Kahn, Jim Marlin, Brad Schaefer, and Rick Tucker.

etymology • After the Dave Clark Five musical group of the 1960s. Usage dates from the late 1980s to 1994, when Brad moved to Connecticut.

dead adj (NATwA) • current • said of a mat with inadequate resilience for proper winks play. Compare to springy.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 7, column 2) • ⌞Mats can vary somewhat, some may be dead, others fluffy and bouncy. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

Debby Boone n (NATwA) • obsolete = double boondock

etymology • After Debby Boone, American singer. First used by Rick Tucker in the late 1970s.

Delrin n • current • a plastic material that has been used to make sharp squidgers, generally black or white.

dates used includes • Early 1980s.

etymology • First used as a material to make squidgers by NATwA winker Rick Tucker in 1981. Delrin was trademarked in January 1960 by DuPont.

web link • Specification information on duPont website.

• 23 November 1985 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia; number 19, page 7, column 1) • ⌞ Delrin, which is used in camera lenses by some manufacturers, has less friction than most squidger materials, but is eminently suited for squidgers. ⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• 16 June 1993 • Email from Rick Tucker to Al Moser • ⌞So nowadays, squidgers are made from plastic blanks of PVC, Delrin, fiber-based-phenolic, random plastic, etc. ⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• 12 June 2000 • [email protected] • ⌞Actually, four or five shafts of PVC and delrin, and I've spent a couple sessions cranking out sharp-eged squidgers and have about 30 in stock now.⌟ — by Bob Henninge (NATwA)

denurdle vi • current • to remove a wink from very close proximity to the pot, either by shooting that wink or by knocking it away with another wink. Also vt.

• 3 October 2003 • [email protected] • ⌞So he could have potted the 5 and denurdled the 6th near some protecting blues, and taken his chances on me making a squop from at least 8 inches (or more).⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)
• November 2007 • Winking World (number 88, page 14, column 1) • ⌞Bob followed in quickly, but Alan had been delayed by a wink rolling off the mat earlier, and almost allowed me to contribute to the game – he de-nurdled his sixth wink, and I potted my fourth and fifth, leaving me a chance to Carnovsky for an extra point (which of course I missed).⌟ — by John Haslegrave (ETwA)

desquop¹ vi (ETwA) • current • to uncover winks that are in piles after one color has potted out.

• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 11) • ⌞Why not stop the game when the sixth wink of a colour is potted and score up normally before transferring the point. This would stop all the silly desquopping and make scores 6.5* and 5.5* much more common.⌟ — by Geoff Thorpe

desquop² vi (ETwA) • current = free • to free a squopped wink from a pile.

• 14 September 1962 • Time (page 56) • ⌞A squopped wink cannot be squidged again until it is de-squopped.⌟
• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 5, column 1) • ⌞A player whose wink is sent off the mat by another player during a desquop does not lose a turn.⌟
• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞The vital tactic is to squop your opponents’ winks and pot them in desquopping.⌟

dive in vi • current • to send one or more winks intentionally into an area dominated by opponents.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 48) • ⌞He brought in well, but I decided to set up a counter-threat rather than dive in.⌟ — by Matt Fayers

dock vi (ETwA) • current = boondock Also vt.

dates used includes • 1985

etymology • Contraction of the term boondock. First used in 1985 by ETwA winker Bruce Devlin.

• 22 November 1986 • Newswink (number 22) • ⌞Whereas most words in the winking lexicon are most assuredly English, boondock is an American contribution. Yet while we clip the word to boon, the Cambrians take the other tack and dock their opponents‘ winks!⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 23, column 1) • ⌞Andy then broke the pile by double-docking two of Larry’s blues and was fortunate that a yellow landed on a blue on a green doubleton. ⌟ — by Patrick Barrie (ETwA)

dominant corners n • current • the pair of diagonally-opposite corners of a mat that are considered more desirable than the other pair of corners. When a player is standing behind a dominant corner, his right side is near the long (six foot) edge of the mat, and his left side is near the short (three foot) edge of the mat. Compare to submissive corners.

dates used includes • 1990s

• November 1991 • Winking World (number 55, page 44, column 1) • ⌞This, and the inherent fairness of an all-partner-all, makes it possible to see whether the prized ‘dominant’ right-hand corners did indeed beat up on the grotty, useless, cowering left-hand corners.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)
• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (number 26, page 7, column 1) • ⌞Dominant corners with blue & red for Andy & Geoff in odd-numbered games⌟

double¹ n (NATwA) = doubleton • a pile in which two winks are squopped by one wink.

• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 1, column 2) • ⌞However, for the ramp away shot the biggest danger is to miss short, allowing an easy double.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA`)

double² vt (NATwA) • to make a shot that results in a double.

double blitz n • current • simultaneous blitz attempts by both colors of a partnership. Compare to blitz.

double boondock n • current • a boondock that sends two (usually opponent) winks far away from the center of action in a game.

abbreviated as • DB

double squop² n • archaic • a shot that sends two friendly winks to squop two different target winks, often in different directions.

double-pot n • now rare • a game strategy in which both players of a partnership attempt to pot out. Compare to double-squop, pot-squop.

note • Such a strategy rarely succeeds in modern winks.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞He tried his usual tedious strategy of double-pot, but most people grew out of that in about 1962.⌟ — by Jon Mapley
• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 18) • ⌞Then in the second game (double-pot type), I took the risk of letting Dave try a reasonable, though not certain, pot-out.⌟ — by Alan Dean

double-squop¹ n • now rare • a game strategy in which both players of a partnership attempt to control their opponents by squopping, without intending to pot their own winks until control is obtained and/or near the end of a game. Compare to double-pot, pot-squop.

dates used includes • 1960-1961

• March 1967 • Winking World (number 11, page 4, column 1) • ⌞Tactically, the match was a typical double squop one, with slightly more emphasis on attack than usual.⌟
• 1970 • The Illustrated London News (London, England; volume 256, number 1) • ⌞The ”Double-Squop” school prefers both players of the pair to cover their opponents’ winks before going for the pot.⌟
• 15 January 1993 • Sennet (page 7) • ⌞The Londoners double-squopped fiendishly against the now weary opposition and gained first place in every game to give them a final victory by four clear points.⌟
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (page 18) • ⌞However, during the academic year 1960-1961, double squop took hold, especially as Oxford, using double squop, beat Cambridge in the Varsity match of 1961.⌟ — by Charles Relle
• 16 January 2011 • Email to Rick Tucker • ⌞He was one of the pioneers of double squop strategy, of which Cambridge disapproved, partly because we saw potting as the most important part of the game, and partly because Oxford invented it.⌟ — by Charles Relle

doubles (ETwA) • uncommon = pairs

• 3 April 1993 • Newswink (number 28, page 7, column 1) • ⌞To be consistent we need to change the last word to “side” or “player or players”, for we need to make the rules the same for singles and doubles.⌟ — by Charles relle (ETwA)

doubleton n (ETwA) • current = double

etymology • Originated by Charles Relle. Derived from the term “doubleton” in the game of bridge.

• 2 July 1990 • Email from Andy Purvis to Rick Tucker • ⌞The blow-up is reasonable, but Larry takes a doubleton of big winks on the remnants of the pile.⌟ — by Andy Purvis
• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 24) • ⌞Sadly I rapidly ended up under three doubletons, some by my own subbing.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard

Dr. Fatty n (ETwA) • historical • onetime nickname of ETwA winker Nick Inglis.

Dr. Superfatty n (ETwA) • historical • onetime nickname of ETwA winker Stew Sage.

drag off vi • current • to knock a wink off another wink using a low trajectory shot. Also vt.

• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 26, column 1) • ⌞Squop and drag off - Sometime you don’t have any choice and need to perform both of these at once. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

Dragon n (NATwA) • current • nickname of NATwA winker Dave Lockwood.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 1, column 1) • ⌞Larry’s scheduled for an August 2 World Singles debut with The Dragon who has climbed to four wins and a loss in World Singles play.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

Dragon Cup n (NATwA) • historical • a tournament sponsored by Dave Lockwood in 1979. Later, a challenge singles match (best score in five games), starting in 1989, patterned after ETwA’s Jubilee Singles.

etymology • From Dragon, nickname of Dave Lockwood.

• 10 April 1993 • Newswink (number 28, page 12, column 2) • ⌞After several years of residing at Horsemeat’s house, the Dragon Cup has changed hands and returned to its sponsor.⌟

drop-kick vi (ETwA) • obsolete • [To be provided]

etymology • Based on a term used in Rugby Union and Rugby League; it is a kick in which you drop the ball on the ground and kick it as it bounces up.

drunken wink n • current • a wink that rolls and slides along the mat in an unexpectedly meandering fashion.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞drunken wink—a wink that behaves unpredictably or bizarrely.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

DuPont n (NATwA) • obscure • a boondock played with considerable force, with the intention of sending the boondocked wink off the table.

dates used includes • Introduced in NATwA during the late 1970s.

etymology • Originally said by Dave Pinckney to Fred Shapiro, ("send it to DuPont"), suggesting that he send a particular wink in the direction of the DuPont gymnasium, a building adjacent to the MIT Student Center. However, Fred thought he heard “send it to the pot”.

E

Eastern Regionals n (NATwA) • historical • an annual NATwA teams tournament, generally held in December at MIT.

dates used includes • Held from 1970 to 1980.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞We hereby attempt to disprove the compelling thesis that no interesting article can be written about the 1977 Eastern Regionals, held at MIT December 3.⌟

eat vt (NATwA) • current = squop

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞eat—to squop; especially, to squop thoroughly, completely covering the lower wink.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• March 1993 • Winking World (number 60, page 13, column 1) • ⌞But red gets an excellent knock-off, blue squops a vital green that was about to eat everything, and green subs taking a yellow with it.⌟ — by Andy Purvis ((ETwA))

egg cup n • obsolete = pot

• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (Cambridge University; volume Appendix B, page 30) • ⌞The cup (a standard egg-cup 1½” high X 1¾” diam) is placed in the middle of the pitch.⌟
• 16 July 1958 • New York Herald Tribune • ⌞But in Britain there is a rudimentary literature of tiddlywinks, and one manual says: “Take an egg cup and set it in the center of a blanket spread taut on a table.[”]⌟

Eggs n (ETwA) • historical • nickname of Reverend Edgar Ambrose Willis, the first Secretary-General of ETwA.

etymology • Derived from Willis’s first name, Edgar.

• July 1963 • The Pauline (London, England) • ⌞On April 20th, 1963, the Rev. Edgar A. Willis, known to generations of Paulines and others as “Eggs,” died peacefully in his sleep at Cirencester at the age of 71, in the middle of one of the holiday houseparties for boys which he and his greatest friend had been organising without a break in spite of war-time difficulties for over forty years.⌟

English Tiddlywinks Association n • current • the association of winkers and winks teams in England, founded opn 12 June 1958.

abbreviated as • ETwA

dates used includes • 1958 to present

• 13 June 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 13, column 4) • ⌞The congress, which was sponsored by the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club, also formed an English Tiddlywinks Association and appointed the Rev. E. A. Willis, a retired Minister, of Richmond, Surrey, who has played tiddlywinks for more than 50 years, as its secretary general.⌟

ETwA or Etwa n • current

abbreviation for • English Tiddlywinks Association

dates used includes • Founded on 12 June 1958 at the First World Tiddlywinks Congress held in Cambridge England, and operating ever since.

web link • Official website

ETwAn n • uncommon • a member of ETwA.

• 11 April 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞In an recent article (expired on my network at least), Andy Purvis inquired about other ETwAns going to the NATwA Singles in June.⌟ — by Rick Tucker

F

failure to free n • current • a situation during a game after one partnership has played all of the free turns allotted following squopping out its opponents, and has not freed any opponent winks.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞For the first shot of the turn immediately following the failure to free, the player due to play the next colour shall nominate a playable wink of any colour and play it as if it were his own. ⌟ — by Jon Mapley (ETwA)
• 29 September 1990 • Newswink (number 25, page 12, column 1) • ⌞The motivation for the changes is to enact a stiff penalty for a failure to free upon conclusion of the free turns awarded a partnership when they have squopped-out their opponents.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 22) • ⌞failure to free ceased to be a foul shot some 5+ years ago.⌟ — by Patrick Barrie (ETwA)

feeb vi (NATwA) • current = poss, George Michael • to make a poor attempt at a shot, usually in reference to a short squop attempt in which the shooting wink falls short of its target. Also n.

etymology • Contraction of the term feeble.

• 9 February 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞Does Poss know that he is replacing George Michael in the tiddlywinks vocabulary? The only other terms, besides these two, I can recall being used on a regular basis for such a shot are 'feeb', 'totally pathetic wimp', and 'Graham Hancock' (the last two are obviously related).⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

felt n • current • the material used to make officially-sanctioned mats

note • Felt mats were originally made of natural wool through the 1970s, and are now typically synthetic.

• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (The Thesis) • ⌞The normal tournament pitch size is 2 yds. X 1 yd. the surface being a felt, needleloom, dunlipillo or other compressible material which rises from the compressed state in a vertical direction (as opposed to a circular upward motion e.g. pile carpets).⌟
• between 1958 and 1961 • The International Rules of Tiddlywinks (page 3, column 1) • ⌞THE MAT should have a surface of a felt-like, non-pile structure, e.g. blanket, carpet, or rug, large enough to permit the winks to be placed 3 feet from the pot.⌟
• 12 February 1973 • Cornell Daily Sun (volume 89, page 7, column 2) • ⌞All this is accomplished through the use of a squidger (a large round disk), small flip winks, and a little pot which sits in the middle of a large felt mat.⌟ — by Barbara Elkin

Ferd n • current • nickname of NATwA winker Peter Wulkan.

etymology • After his childhood nickname, “Ferdinand the Bull”.

• 7 November 1967 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts; volume 87, number 457, page 16, column 2) • ⌞The eight Tech squidgers were F. T. Bull '68 (captain), Bob Henninge '69, David Sheinson '69, Jeff Weiselthier '69, Mitch Wand '69, Mark Oshin '71, Bob Rees '71, and Bill Stensrud '71.⌟
• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞On the Saturday morning, as the matches were just getting under way, Somerville’s Ferdinand T. Bull said they were so confident of a win that they had left the CHYM Trophy at their home near Boston, Massachusetts.⌟

fiat vincs ruat cælum n (NATwA) • current • NATwA motto: let winks be played, though the heavens crumble.

etymology • Adapted from the Latin phrase fiat justitia ruat cælum: let justice be done though the heavens fall.

• January 1976 • NATwA Songbook (number 1) • ⌞“Fiat vincs, ruat caelum” [Play winks, though the heavens crumble.]⌟
• March 1997 • Youth (page 48) • ⌞Like the NATwA motto says, Fiat vincs, ruat cælum. (Let winks be played, though the heavens crumble.)⌟ — by Daniel Dern (NATwA)
• 6 May 2011 • The Oxford Student (Oxford, England; page online) • ⌞As the North American Tiddlywinks Association motto says, “Fiat vincs, ruat cælum!”⌟

fiber-based phenolic n • current • a plastic material sometimes used to make squidgers, generally brown.

abbreviated as • FBP

note • First used to make squidgers by Rick Tucker around 1985.

• 27 November 1987 • Newswink (number 21, page 3, column 1) • ⌞Fiber-based phenolic (FBP) squidgers are becoming popular in Washington.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

field of play n • current • the areas on the mat where shots may be made once winks are brought in from the line. The areas behind each corner’s baseline are not part of the field of play.

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Field of Play · Area of mat in which interesting things are going on.⌟
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 21) • ⌞Following on from last year’s complications over what constitutes the “field of play”, we wish to state explicitly that winks in the pot can’t be played.⌟ — by Patrick Barrie

five-way pot-squop n (NATwA) • current • a tiddlywinks perversion in which five colors are employed. Each winker has two potential partners and two opponents.

dates used includes • 1971

web link • Rules online in the publication, Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞5-way squop out (conceptualized by NATwA winker Bob Henninge in a fit of incoherence).⌟

flat adj (ETwA) • current = free wink • said of a wink that has been brought into play but is unsquopped

Fleas n (NATwA) • historical • an encyclopedic publication by NATwA winker Fred Shapiro that appeared in November 1978.

etymology • From fleas, the name for the game of tiddlywinks in many languages, e.g. jeu de puces (French).

flexible squidger n • current • a squidger made of nonrigid plastic, often made from a bottle-top or (especially in Great Britain in the 1980s) a phonecard or credit card.

• 29 September 1990 • Newswink (number 25, page 13, column 1) • ⌞Mat types have come and gone as usual, but perhaps the biggest technical innovation has been the flexible squidger. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

flexisquidger n (ETwA) • current = flexible squidger

flip n • current • a shot that results in at least one wink coming to rest on its other side. Also vt.

• April 1991 • Winking World (number 56, page 20, column 1) • ⌞Nick gets on an Andy tripleton, but the flip shot is inconvenienced by the pot and is inconclusive. ⌟

flip-style adj • current • said of a technique used in squidge-offs or approach shots of long distances where the squidger faces upwards as the winker strokes it across and back along a wink to squidge it into play. Compare to squop-style.

• 27 November 1990 • email from Andy Purvis to Rick Tucker • ⌞But my bringing-in was just dreadful. Maybe it's time to go back to flip-style.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)
• October 1992 • Winking World (number 59, page 32) • ⌞When I played Dave Lockwood in the 1986 Singles, he had written in Newswink that Alan’s “antiquated flip-style bring-in style” had been largely to blame for his defeat in a recent match. ⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

flog n (NATwA) • uncommon • a tiddlywinks perversion based on golf in which players pot winks.

etymology • From the word “golf”, spelled backwards.

web link • Rules online in the publication, Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

• February 1976 • Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents • ⌞FLOG.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

fluff n • current = fuzz • a pilled tuft of felt from a mat that sits above the generally smooth surface of the mat.

• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞At times I see myself as a piece of fluff under a pile of winks about to be exploited.⌟

forehand adj • current • a winks shot in which the palm of the hand holding the squidger faces the direction of the wink shot.

• 18 July 1978 • Southern Echo (Southampton, England; page 11) • ⌞Winks can be played forehand or backhand.⌟

foreign visitor rule n • current • a ruling by IFTwA that grants the highest-placing national contestant in a national championship the right to challenge the world champions should the winner of that national championship include a foreign winker.

dates used includes • First applied in the 1980 NATwA Singles, held on 24-25 May 1980.

• 2 October 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 1, column 1) • ⌞It was also the first match where the dreaded Foreign Visitor rule came into play.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)
• October 1990 • Winking World (number 55, page 55, column 1) • ⌞Nobody missed a challenge in the whole decade and no Brit has ever won the title off of a ‘legitimate challenge’ (not using the foreign visitor rule).⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

foul shot n (ETwA) • current • a shot that is contrary to the rules of tiddlywinks.

• May 1990 • The Rules of Tiddlywinks • ⌞Whenever a foul shot is played, the opponents have the right to accept the shot in its entirety if they consider it to be to their advantage. ⌟ — by Jon Mapley (ETwA)

four pot relay n • current • a tiddlywinks record-making activity that has been recognized periodically by the Guinness Book of World Records, involving four winkers each potting winks into his or her own pot for a specified length of time. When the first winker pots a wink, the second winker removes it and pots it into the second pot, and so on until the same wink has been potted into all four pots.

• October 1961 • Winking World (number 2, page 4, column 1) • ⌞There have been no changes in the English records since February. ACCURACY—12 winks from 3 feet. 24 shots by Peter Kershaw (Manchester G.S.) SPEED—24 winks, from 18 inches – 35 seconds by Robert Goodsman (Flying Disc Tw.C.) 4-Pot Relay—39 winks through 4 pots in 3 minutes, by the Flying Disc Tw.C. Birmingham.⌟
• October 1963 • London Tiddlywinks Bulletin (number 3, page 6 (unnumbered), column 1) • ⌞Four pot relay: Four pots are placed at one foot intervals on the mat, and a player is assigned to each. The first starts with 12 small winks, placed 15 ins[.] from his pot, and tries to pot them as quickly as possible. As soon as a wink is in the first pot, the second player takes it, and plays it in his turn. This procedure is followed all down the line to the last pot, the aim being to get as many winks in the last pot as possible, within three minutes. As soon as the twelfth wink is in the fourth pot, the first player may recommence.⌟
• September 1970 • Newswink (number 3) • ⌞World 4-pot relay record broken! Old record was 24. New record established (twice) by Ferd, Bob, Sunshine, and Severin—33 !!!⌟

four-color game n (NATwA) • uncommon • the official game of tiddlywinks, in which four sets of colored winks are used, six each of blue, green, red, and yellow.

• February 1975 • Missing Wink • ⌞All proposed designs, as of November 30, according to winkers who talked with Mr. Reid, suffered from two basic faults when compared to our four-color game: namely, lack of potting and lack of squopping.⌟

fractional score n • current • a game score of 5½ to 1½, 4⅔ to 2⅓, 4½ to 2½, or 3½ to 3½ in the official game of tiddlywinks.

• 13 February 1980 • Newswink (Silver Spring, Maryland; number 14, page 4, column 2) • ⌞Total fractional scores 6 in 12 - 71 Continentals Bob Henninge⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• October 1991 • Winking World (number 57, page 10, column 1) • ⌞Brad needed to make a short squop in the last game to prevent any fractional scores for the whole tournament. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

free vt • current • to make a shot that removes a squopped wink from a pile and results in it no longer being squopped. Also vi.

• 1964 • Tiddlywinks Strategy (ETwA E1) (page 1, column 1) • ⌞It is the squopper’s job to obstruct the opponents (principally by squopping the opposing potter, but also by attacking the squopper) and to free his own partner when he becomes squopped.⌟
• November 1976 • Return of the Missing Wink (page 6, column 1) • ⌞When trying to free winks, give preference to freeing a partner's wink - in case anything happens, your team gets two shots in that region.⌟

free turns n • current • the specific number of turns for shooting winks that is awarded to a partnership that has squopped-out the opponent partnership.

• 1 February 1961 • Winking World (number 1, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Preliminary trials on the above suggestion reveal, that it makes a big difference to the game, and one which comes as something of a shock and disappointment to those now used to the E.Tw.A. version. But after this initial reaction, players have found that the new game retains the basic skills of the old (i.e, potting end squopping), in fact it even demands greater accuracy in the performance of these skills since one missed shot can lose the game, that this game is cleaner, easier to follow, particularly for the uninitiated, and avoids all the complications previously encountered with the desquopping shot, playing of free turns etc.⌟
• 27 November 1987 • Newswink (number 21, page 2, column 2) • ⌞A huge pile developed, and Jon had free turns from about the twelfth minute.⌟

free wink n • current • a wink that is not squopped, not in the pot, and has been played into the field of play from the baseline.

• April 1975 • Newswink (number 7, page 4, column 1) • ⌞Picture the situation: it's the fifth round; your last shot; you have to pot your one free wink for the win...you line it up, and carefully place your squidger...and shoot.⌟
• 14 February 1981 • Newswink (number 12, page 19, column 2) • ⌞But recently, * & Bob found themselves with a 9-wink pile in which the only free wink was irrelevantly sitting on one edge of the pile.⌟

friendly game n • current • an informal tiddlywinks game that is intended to be relaxing and not competitive.

• June 1993 • The Squopsman (Scotland) • ⌞But as we know today, “there is no such thing as a friendly game.”⌟ — by Bruce Turnbull (ScotTwA)

fuzz n • current = fluff

G

game point n • current • one of the total of 7 points that are awarded to winkers at the conclusion of an official game of tiddlywinks. These 7 points include 4 that are awarded to the color with the most tiddlies (time-limit points), 2 to the next color, 1 to the next, and 0 to the remaining color. In the event of a potout, 1 point is transferred to the winning partnership.

• 27 November 1987 • Newswink (number 21, page 6) • ⌞In any match, tournament or series of games, the result is decided on the aggregate number of game points scored (see rule 10), not on individual games won and lost.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

George Michael n (ETwA) • now rare = feeb

dates used includes • Early 1980s.

etymology • Named after English singer and songwriter George Michael, popular in the 1980s and 1990s.

• 9 February 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞Does Poss know that he is replacing George Michael in the tiddlywinks vocabulary? ⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

gerrymander n • nascent • a long pile consisting primarily of linear squops that twists and turns

dates used includes • First used by Larry Kahn, 9 November 2017, at the NATwA Singles.

etymology • By analogy of the shape of such a pile of winks to the typically circuitous shape of a gerrymandered voting district.

gETwAgether n (ETwA) • nascent • A get-together of ETwA members, particularly via an online video connection.

dates used includes • Starting in May 2020

etymology • a portmanteau of "ETwA" and "get-together".

• 17 May 2020 • [ETwA] Next online gETwAgether • ⌞Following the success of our last Zoom meeting, I’d like to propose a second online gETwAgether (TM) for next weekend (23/24th May).⌟ — by Sarah Knight (ETwA)

Gill n (NATwA) • historical • Gill, Massachusetts, the location of NATwA’s 25th anniversary reunion from 21 to 23 June 1991.

• 24 June 1991 • Email from Rick Tucker to multiple winkers • ⌞All I can say is that the Gill NATwA Reunion (with 34 winkers and families) was one of the most enjoyable winks events in my life.⌟ — by Rick Tucker
• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia; number 26, page 1, column 1) • ⌞Driven by car, plane, and inexplicable passion, winkers from across the country descending on Gill. ⌟ — by Ferd Wulkan (NATwA)

GNATs n (NATwA) • now rare • a list of the top winners and second-place finishers in NATwA tournaments.

abbreviation for • Great North American Titles

etymology • Named by Dave Lockwood in the late 1970s.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞GNATS⌟

Golden Squidger n (ETwA) • historical • an ETwA competition involving pairs.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54, page 1, column 1) • ⌞Currently, I am the holder of the Jubilee while the Golden Squidger remains in the hands of Alan Dean and Mike Surridge.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

Good vt • current • to perform a Good shot on a wink. Also vi.

Good shot or good shot n • current • a shot in which a played wink causes another wink to be moved (typically knocked off another wink) as a result of the played wink’s pressure upward on other wink from the bottom face or edge of the moved wink.

dates used includes • 1972

etymology • Invented by NATwA winker John Good of MIT in 1972.

• April 2008 • Winking World (number 89, page 6, column 1) • ⌞Round 5, Yan has an epic Good shot to free three of Prabhas’s winks.⌟ — by Greg Durrett (NATwA)

Goode shot n • deprecated = Good shot

etymology • “Goode” is a misspelling of the last name of John Good, the inventor of the shot.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞Goode shot—a shot used when one has a wink touching, but not on an unwanted pile. The wink is pressed hard into the mat and, when released, goes through the pile, thoroughly scattering it.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

Goons n • historical • the name of a BBC radio comedy troupe in the 1950s that played CUTwC on 1 March 1958 at the request of Prince Philip, to defend his honor. The Goons team included Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, Wallace Greenslade, Graham Stark, Max Geldray, Alan Simpson, and Ray Galton.

web link • Goons information website

• 17 December 1957 • The Times (London, England; page 9, column 4) • ⌞Early in the New Year a match, in aid of the National Playing Fields Association, will be played between the Goons, who have, with permission, taken the tide of Prince Philip’s Royal Tiddlywinks Champions, and the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club.⌟
• 2 March 1958 • Manchester Guardian (Manchester, England; page 4, column 3) • ⌞Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club defeated the royal champions, the Goons, by 120.5 to 50.5 points in a special challenge match played at the Guildhall, Cambridge, on Saturday.⌟

Gottesman n (NATwA) • obsolete = Dave Taylor • a game strategy in which each wink that is brought in from the baseline is potted before subsequent winks of that color are brought in.

dates used includes • 1966

etymology • Named after winker Mike Gottesman of the Harvard team in 1966.

grand tour n (NATwA) • current • the path of a wink that rolls around the pot or through areas where other winks are located.

etymology • After the phrase, “a grand tour of the universe”.

Great White Wink¹ n • now rare • a fictional god-like overseer of winkdom.

etymology • After The Great White Hope, a play and film about boxing.

• 16 February 1980 • Newswink (number 10) • ⌞The Ross Callon-Jim Roberts game ended in the 5th round with one end of the table collapsing and winks skittering off about the room (influenced by the Great White Wink?).⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 19) • ⌞Sometimes I think the Great White Wink pre-ordains these games and I’m just a puppet on a string.⌟ — by Alan Dean

Great White Wink² n (NATwA) • now rare • a parable written by Fred Shapiro that is included in the publication, Fleas.

dates used includes • 1978

greed shot n (ETwA) • current • a very difficult shot that has the potential to achieve substantial gains in a game.

dates used includes • At least in 2019.

note • Used by Patrick Barrie in World Pairs 45.

gromp n • current • a shot that moves a pile of two (or sometimes more) winks to squop another wink. Also vt.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞gromp—to move a pile as a whole onto another wink or pile.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• 13 February 1982 • Newswink (number 14, page 13, column 1) • ⌞Larry makes an excellent gromp of a red on green onto a yellow next to green for a tenuous triple. ⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

Gromper's Gazette n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA newsletter produced by Rick Tucker.

dates used includes • One edition was published in 1992.

web link • Online edition.

guard n (ETwA) • current • an unsquopped wink near a friendly pile that can respond to attacks on that pile.

• Autumn 2003 • Winking World (number 81, page 11) • ⌞It seemed to me obvious to Bristol the red and yellow off the other red onto the yellow. This gives a doubleton and two guards.⌟ — by Charles Relle

Guess the Milk n (NATwA) • uncommon • a joke told, and retold, by NATwA winker Severin Drix.

• 17 February 1979 • Newswink (number 9) • ⌞Word has reached our ears that Severin is planning to do the “Guess the Milk” joke with Ferd this year.⌟

Guinness Book of Records or Guinness Book of World Records n • current • a book and website documenting exemplary feats, including tiddlywinks records.

web link • Tiddlywinks world records according to Guinness

• 1 July 1988 • Newswink (number 22, page 8, column 2) • ⌞In May 1988, an Australian TV crew recorded four Americans attempting to beat a Guinness Book of World Records’ tiddlywinks 4-pot relay record.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

Guinness Trophy n (ETwA) • current = Bombay Bowl

• 28 October 1961 • International Tiddlywinks Match for the Guinness Trophy (scorecard)

GUTS n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a tiddlywinks team formed by winkers from Harvard University's humor magazine, The Gargoyle.

abbreviation for • Gargoyle Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society

dates used includes • 1962 to 1966.

etymology • The Gargoyle was a humor magazine at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• 27 October 1962 • Harvard Alumni Bulletin (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; page 110) • ⌞Accordingly, we formed GUTS (the Gargoyle Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society), lost to Oxford, and now represent Harvard as the strongest team in America.⌟
• 17 December 1962 • Sports Illustrated (page 22) • ⌞So stupid that Sports Illustrated is covering it Saturday only, Yale vs. the undefeated G.U.T.S.⌟
• 8 March 1966 • The Crimson (Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA) • ⌞The GUTS team played a wide-open brawling game.⌟

H

hairy's den n (ETwA) • now rare • an area on the mat totally dominated by the opposition.

etymology • Used by ETwA winkers from the Bancroft team.

Hampshire Open Pairs n (ETwA) • historical • a tournament once played annually at Southampton.

handicap n • current • in an handicapped tournament, a scoring adjustment assigned to a winker to level the winker’s chances of winning against other winkers. Also adj.

• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (number 26, page 7, column 2) • ⌞Handicap tournaments give newcomers an even chance and compensate veterans in Bob-Rookie situations.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)
• 17 October 1994 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞The National Teams of Four handicap tournament will take place on 29th/30th October in Queens' College, Cambridge.⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)

Harvest n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA tournament held in October around harvest time in early October from 1976 to 1980, replacing the HOTT.

etymology • Named by Rick Tucker.

• November 1976 • Missing Wink (number 4, page 18, column 1) • ⌞On Sat., Oct. 10, 32 winkers participated in the first Harvest Open Teams Tournament to kick off the 1970-77 season, the earliest NATwA has ever opened with a sanctioned tournament.⌟

hassle vt • current • to shoot a wink to land near an opponent wink with the intent of keeping the other wink busy or worried that it will be squopped.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 17) • ⌞Red had quite a supply of pottable winks, but blue was struggling, especially when hassled by green.⌟ — by Alan Dean (ETwA)

hoodwink¹ n (ETwA) • obsolete • a deceptive shot

dates used includes • 1964

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Hoodwink · (Noun) A deceptive shot.⌟

hoodwink² vi (ETwA) • obsolete • to out-psyche an opponent

dates used includes • 1964

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Hoodwink · … (Verb) To out-psyche the opponent.⌟

Horsemeat n • current • nickname of Larry Kahn.

etymology • From Larry Kahn’s statement at the 1976 NATwA Pairs: “I’m playing like horsemeat”.

• November 1976 • Return of the Missing Wink (number 4, page 2, column 1) • ⌞"I've been playing like horsemeat."—a disgruntled winker in the heat of competition.⌟
• 2 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8, page 1, column 1) • ⌞Horsemeat joined the exclusive 60-Point Continentals club, winning nine and losing none of his last ten games.⌟
• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 7, column 2) • ⌞Horsemeat's Potting Guide⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)
• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 31) • ⌞Larry’s ‘winks career started to take off when for some unknown reason Severin Drix decided to partner him in the 1976 pairs. After winning that (this is where the ‘horsemeat’ quote comes from), they went on to win the next two.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

HOTT n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA tournament held around Halloween at the end of October from 1971 to 1975.

abbreviation for • Halloween Open Teams Tournament

note • NATwA's HOTT tournament was succeeded by the Harvest tournament.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 6) • ⌞Matches were generally for two teams, and there was no overall structure to either guarantee that matches would occur (such as many “traditional” dates we now have, e.g. HOTT, BIT, Regionals, Continentals, etc.) or to give any sort of standings for the teams.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

Humbletoad Tree Farm n (NATwA) • current • the name of a farm based in eastern Ohio, developed by Bob Henninge, and home to some winkers of the Toads team.

• November 1971 • Return of the Missing Wink (number 4, page 4, column 2) • ⌞live at Humbletoad Treefarm near mythical Farnwood Ohio.⌟

Hyth n (NATwA) • historical = HYTHNLBTWOC

abbreviation for • HYTHNLBTWOC

• 3 March 1972 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts; volume 92, number 86, page 7, column 3) • ⌞The 'C' team was closely followed by Toronto, but clinched second place by demolishing Hyth 'B', an independent team, in their last matchup.⌟ — by Peter Rubinstein (NATwA)
• May 1974 • The Missing Wink (page 3, column 1) • ⌞5/72 HIBYOTT—Hyth Bring Your Own Table Tournament, Bennington.⌟

HYTHNLBTWOC n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed by Sunshine in 1970. The team evolved to become the TKOs.

abbreviated as • Hyth

abbreviation for • Hark Yon Tree Hath No Leaves But They Will Out Club

etymology • This team first played in the February 1970 Continentals, 14-15 February. It was named by members of the team, each team member adding a succeeding word to the name.

• September 1970 • Newswink (number 3) • ⌞My team’s name is HYTHNLBTWOC (pronounced hith-nil-bit-wock), or “Hark Yon Tree Has No Leaves But They Will Out”.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

I

idiot's delight n • current • trying to pot a wink into a pot that is held in the hand with the base used as a squidger on the wink.

web link • Rules online in the publication, Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

IFTwA n • current • the International Federation of Tiddlywinks Associations, the governing body for all recognized tiddlywinks associations.

etymology • Formed and named on 16 June 1963 at the Second International Tiddlywinks Congress held in Birmingham, England.

web link • Official website

• October 1993 • Winking World (number 4, page 1, column 1) • ⌞Another important step forward at the Second Congress was the setting-up of the International Federation of Tiddlywinks Associations (IFTwA) to look after the development of Tiddlywinks on a world-wide basis.⌟

Ilkeston Toys n (ETwA) • historical • the name of a British toy company that supplied tiddlywinks equipment in the early 1970s; formed by the owner of Marchant Games, Hughes Rudd.

etymology • Named after the town of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England.

• August 1970 • Winking World (number 17, page 4, column 1) • ⌞His information came from Mr. Rudd of Marchant Games, who does not want to pass on the ETwA section, and therefore intends incorporating it in another of his companies, Ilkeston Toys Ltd., of the same address (Loughton, Essex).⌟
• July 1971 • Winking World (number 19, page 4, column 1) • ⌞When they arrive at Marchant Games (or rather at Ilkeston Toys), the winks have to be sorted into sets by hand, and it is here that some bad specimens get through, to Mr. Rudd’s regret. ⌟

illegal shot n (NATwA) • current = foul shot

• July 1971 • Winking World (number 19, page 10, column 1) • ⌞Push-shot • An illegal shot in which the wink is pushed, not squidged.⌟ — by Guy Consterdine (ETwA)

Indian n (NATwA) • current = TDI • nickname of NATwA winker Saul Agranoff.

• 17 November 1984 • Newswink (number 18, page 3, column 1) • ⌞Indian consolidates what looks like a 5 1/2 win only to be outdone by Severin who pots 2 to get 2 1/3 and a 2/3 of a point win. ⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

Indian rule n (NATwA) • current • a convention in which blue squidges-off first, either green or yellow next, and then the color partnering the closer wink to the cup squidges-off.

etymology • Named for Saul Agranoff (nicknamed Indian), who first proposed it in the mid-1970s.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 8, column 2) • ⌞The Indian rule is defeated 10-12, read the 1980 minutes for an explanation.⌟

Individual Pairs n • current • a type of tournament during which each winker partners each other winker in the match; the individual with the highest total of match points is designated the winner.

abbreviated as • IP

note • The first NATwA Individual Pairs was held on 28 April 1984

etymology • First used by Sunshine in Newswink 19, page 4, 23 November 1985.

• 23 November 1985 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia USA; number 19, page 4, column 1) • ⌞The format was a 7 game round robin--everyone playing 1 game with each winker as a partner and 2 games against everyone. (Hence another possible name for the match: Individual Pairs.)⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

Individuals n (NATwA) • current = Individual Pairs

Inglis game n (ETwA) • current = positional game • an extremely passive tactical situation that results from one wink of each color being squopped and safely guarded, and free winks well grouped, so that any aggressive shot is likely to be suicidal.

etymology • Named after ETwA winker Nick Inglis, who often applied such tactics in games.

• September 2010 • International Match • Washington DC • 3rd of September 2010 • ⌞The game developed into an Inglis game, and Andrew cracked first.⌟ (Retrieved 29 March 2022.)

International Federation of Tiddlywinks Associations n • current • the international organization that oversees the activities of recognized national and regional tiddlywinks associations (currently ETwA and NATwA), conducts world tiddlywinks championships (World Pairs, World Singles, and other events), and addresses any differences among the national associations.

abbreviated as • IFTwA

web link • Official website

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 2, column 1) • ⌞That an International Federation of Tiddlywinks Associations be formed, consisting of a Secretary-General plus one representative from each National Tiddlywinks Association, for the purposes of encouraging the enjoyment and development of tiddlywinks throughout the world, and arranging international events. ⌟

Invitational n (ETwA) • current • a tournament to which participating winkers are invited by the host, often held in a winker’s home.

IP n • current = Individual Pairs

J

jab shot n (NATwA) • current • a type of shot in which the squidger is forcefully applied to a wink in a short, hard, straight motion.

• November 1976 • Return of the Missing Wink (number 4, page 11, column 1) • ⌞Jab shot - a shot may not be started more than ½" from the wink to be played.⌟

John Lennon Memorial Shot n • current = Lennon • a shot that produces two results: a wink is boondocked, and the shooting wink comes to rest on another wink, squopping it.

• June 1993 • The Squopsman • ⌞In terms of technique, everyone was inspired by the consistency in potting and squopping, never mind the variety of pile shots (at last we find out exactly what the John Lennon Memorial Shot is!).⌟
• 26 December 2019 • Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) • ⌞One, known as the John Lennon Memorial shot because it reflects Lennon’s genius, simultaneously freed a wink while landing on an opponent’s.⌟ — by Mank Sanderson

Jubilee Singles n (ETwA) • current • a singles match in which anyone may challenge the current champion to a match and in which the best score in five games wins.

judge n (NATwA) • current = umpire • a third party called in to decide a dispute between two winkers. The ETwA term generally used is umpire, although judge is used when the matter in question is the legality of a shot. Compare to umpire.

jump in vi (NATwA) • current • to send winks into an area that the opponents control.

junior birdman n (NATwA) • current = Port Stanley • a bomb shot during which a wink is shot in a high trajectory into the air towards the target.

Junior Continentals n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA tournament restricted to teams of winkers who were high school students or younger.

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞The first annual North American Junior Continental Championships have been tentatively scheduled for the weekend of March 18-19.⌟

K

kick adj • obsolete = butt

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞butt • to knock (a wink) on or off a pile by shooting another wink at it on a low trajectory. Also kick.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

kickshot n (ETwA) • obsolete • a shot in which the wink is potted after bouncing on the mat.

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Kickshot · A shot in which the wink is potted after bouncing on the mat.⌟

knock-off adj • current • said of a shot where a wink hits another wink on the pile with the intended result that the latter wink unsquops a friendly wink in the pile. Also n.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 43) • ⌞Knock-offs from range require a lot more accuracy than the size of the target wink would suggest.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)

knock-off and squop or squop and knock off adj • current • said of a shot played to free a friendly wink in a pile and squop the opponent wink that was originally squopping the wink in the target pile.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Jon then added insult to injury by going for another long pot—this flew over the cup, but got a knock-off and squop the other side!⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)
• 21 October 2006 • Winking World (number 85, page 7, column 1) • ⌞A long squop and knock off in rounds, followed by an undeservedly effective pile break from me, left me able to pot for lots of points.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard (ETwA)

knock-out adj • a tournament format in which winners in each round play against each other in subsequent rounds, and losers play against losers. The ultimate winner is the winker who wins all rounds.

kumquat n (NATwA) • now obscure • a variant of a persimmon game in which three players play the two colors of a partnership in a game, with one player shooting one color regularly, and the other two players alternating shots with the other color. Compare to persimmon.

dates used includes • First played in NATwA's October 1978 Harvest tournament.

etymology • From kumquat, the fruit; analogy with pear, being a pun on pair, a partnership in the game of tiddlywinks. Created by NATwA winker, Sunshine.

L

L n (NATwA) • current • nickname of NATwA winker Richard Hussong.

launch vt • current • to shoot a wink from atop another wink, using it as a launching pad.

launching pad n • current • the wink(s) below the shooting wink that can be clicked against to send the shooting wink sharply and with a low trajectory to bomb a pile.

Lennon n • current = John Lennon memorial shot

lesson n (NATwA) • current • a shot that results in a squopping wink covering less of a wink it is squopping

dates used includes • Starting on 20 July 2019.

note • First used by Rick Tucker at World Pairs 45.

etymology • Backformation from the term, "moron".

line n • current = baseline

linear squop n • current • a sequence of three or more winks in which each wink (but one) is squopping just one other wink, all in a line.

lip n • current • upper rim of the pot.

little n (NATwA) • current • a small wink.

London Open n (ETwA) • current • an ETwA pairs tournament played annually in London.

lose vt (ETwA) • current = boondock¹

lunch vt • current • to pot an opponent’s wink as a result of shooting one’s own wink on a pile.

dates used includes • Early 1970s.

etymology • First used by Sunshine in the early 1970s.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞lunch—to pot an opponent’s wink to gain strategic advantage; to trounce, especially in get lunched.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• 18 February 1983 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia USA; number 15, page 3, column 2) • ⌞In perhaps the best game of the tournament, Larry prevailed 6-1, helped by an Arye autolunch [...]⌟ — by Larry Kahn ? (NATwA)

LUSTS n (ETwA) • historical • the name of a high school team in the 1960s from London, England.

abbreviation for • Latymer Upper School Tiddlywinks Society

M

M.U.B. n (ETwA) • historical • onetime nickname of ETwA winker Richard Moore.

abbreviation for • Miserable Unshaven Bastard.

• April 1987 • Winking World (number 52) (Report on London Open)

Mad Dog n (ETwA) • historical • onetime nickname of ETwA winker Andy Purvis.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞And so we come to Little ol’ Me and Mad Dog Purvis.⌟ — by Tony Heading (ETwA)
• 26 October 2004 • The Guardian • ⌞I was referring to the really interesting clash last week, when our very own Andy “Mad Dog” Purvis beat legendary American Larry Kahn to win the world tiddlywinks championships.⌟

Marchant Games n (ETwA) • historical • a British company that supplied official tiddlywinks sets to ETwA and NATwA during the late 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s. Marchant also sold retail versions of tiddlywinks games in the same timeframe.

Marchant Trophy n (ETwA) • a trophy awarded to the winner of the ETwA teams of four tournament, which was played over the years to different formats and is now practically in abeyance. This was originally a challenge trophy for all-England champions. The trophy was presented originally by Marchant Games.

dates used includes • February 1959

mat n • current • the surface on which the game of tiddlywinks is played, which is 6 feet long and 3 feet wide, and for official games is made of felt.

• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M6) • ⌞In its infancy the club quickly verified that a mat is the factor that makes a wink rise.⌟

mat rotation n • current • a system ensuring that in a serious tournament a player cannot play on the same mats too frequently.

match play adj • current • a tournament structure employed in which the winner of a tournament is determined based on the number of wins rather than the sum of individual game points.

note • The early rules of the game of tiddlywinks had “Match Play Tiddlywinks” in their titles; this is no longer used

match point n • current = game point

megacrud n (ETwA) • current • an illegal crud (pile break-up) shot where the squidger starts high above the intended wink on a pile that is being shot. Because of the positioning of the squidger with the winks, it is difficult to determine whether the squidger hit the winker’s proper colored wink first. Compare to crud.

Mickey Mouse n • current • a form of tripleton where the squopped winks are flat and separate, usually all small, so that when squopped, two ears and a mouth/nose stick out.

etymology • After the Walt Disney animated character, Mickey Mouse. First used by the Bancroft School team in England.

middle for diddle n (Charles Relle) • current • a cry of encouragement preceding the squidge-off.

note • Often used by ETwA winker Charles Relle.

etymology • Originated by ETwA winker John Furlonger, though popularized by ETwA winker Charles Relle.

• 8 December 1961 • Felix (London, Middlesex County, UK; number 169, page 1, column 1) • ⌞The President announced that Sunday, January 21st, 1962 was to be a Sport Day against R C S with 5 rugger, 4 Soccer, 2 Hockey, 2 Darts, 2, Dominoes, 2 Bridge, 2 Chess and 1 Tiddlywinks teams from each college. Kick off /bully off/ middle-for-diddle /first drop/ opening bid /first move/ first squidge was to be at 2.15 p.m. ⌟

Milton Bradley n • historical • a United States manufacturer of tiddlywinks for the general market; usage generally connotes a quality insufficient for tournament play. Milton Bradley Company was purchased by Hasbro in 1984.

note • The Milton Bradley Company was purchased by Hasbro in 1984.

minimum n (NATwA) • current • a squidger that is 25mm (formerly 1 inch) in diameter, which is the smallest permitted by the rules.

mint-jelly squidger n (ETwA) • now rare • a squidger made of nonrigid plastic, but somewhat more than credit card thickness; often from the lid of a jar of Sainsburys Mint Jelly.

• April 1987 • Winking World (number 49, page 23)

miracle shot n (NATwA) • current • a shot that attempts to accomplish objectives that are wildly improbable and extremely unlikely to be achievable.

• 29 September 1990 • Newswink (number 25) • ⌞A final miracle shot did not come off, leaving Larry & Bob the winners.⌟
• 24 June 1991 • Greenfield Recorder (Greenfield, Massachusetts USA) • ⌞Kahn said he is best known for his "miracle shots," the shot that bounces off the rim of the cup and ricochets into it, the "one-in-a- thousand chance shots," he says.⌟

miss-a-turn rule n (NATwA) • current • the rule that is in effect when players of a game have opted not to use the perimeter rule when a player’s wink goes off the playing surface.

dates used includes • June 1993 (at the NATwA Singles).

Missing Wink n (NATwA) • historical • a NATwA publication that appeared during the absence of Newswink.

dates used includes • Published May 1974 to November 1976.

etymology • Rhyming slang based on the phrase “missing link” from the scientific field of anthropology.

web link • Online editions.

MIT n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team, consisting of members of MITTwA.

abbreviation for • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MITASS n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a tiddlywinks association at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

abbreviation for • Massachusetts Institute of Technology Association of Squidgers and Squoppers

dates used includes • 1966

• 24 May 1966 • The Daily Reamer (page 8) • ⌞A hastily assembled team from the MIT association of Squidgers and Squoppers showed unexpected strength last weekend in taking second place in a triangular Tiddleywinks meet at Cornell.⌟

MITTwA n (NATwA) • historical = MITwA • the name of a tiddlywinks association at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

abbreviation for • Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tiddlywinks Association.

MITwA n (NATwA) • historical = MITTwA

mobile adj (NATwA) • current = flat • a wink that is not part of a pile or in the pot. Compare to free wink.

moreon or moron n (NATwA) • current • a shot that results in a squopping wink covering more of a wink than it was originally squopping.

dates used includes • Starting around 2017.

note • First used by Dave Lockwood.

Muenster n (NATwA) • historical • a particular large yellow wink of Walmsleys manufacture that is much thicker on one edge than the other, and played by Sunshine in the 1970s and thereabouts.

dates used includes • 1970s

etymology • Coined by NATwA winker Sunshine. Related to Muenster cheese, which is of a yellow/orange color.

murgatroyd n (ETwA) • obsolete • a badly manufactured Walmsleys wink that is flat on both sides.

• 1984 • A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (number 8th edition) — by Eric Partridge; Paul Beale (In appendix written by ETwA's Cyril Edwards.)

mushroom set n (NATwA) • uncommon • a quality set of winks made in West Germany that were used in triples games

dates used includes • 1970s–1990s

etymology • The sets came in a wooden container shaped like a mushroom, sporting a red top with white spots, and a base cup in white with green at top.

MUTS n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a team representing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts in NUTS.

abbreviation for • MIT Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society

dates used includes • 1962

• 20 November 1962 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; volume 82, number 23, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Unfortunately for the MUTS, they were on the short end of a 14-7 score in a home match against Simmons.⌟ — by Toby Zidle (MIT)
• February 1963 • Technology Review (page 44) • ⌞Michael E. Platt, ’63, captain of the MUTS (the M.I.T. Undergraduate Tiddlywink Society), admits that he thought the game was “kind of funny” at first, but now believes it really is a good game that may spread further.⌟

My Winkly Reader n (NATwA) • historical = Winkly Reader • a publication of NATwA that appeared during the absence of Newswink.

dates used includes • Published from February 1977 to March 1978.

etymology • Name was a take-off on My Weekly Reader, a publication oriented to elementary school children in the USA.

web link • Online editions.

N

NAC n (NATwA) • now rare • A NATwA championship, including the Continentals team championship, the NATwA Singles, and the NATwA Pairs.

abbreviation for • North American Championship

narg n (ETwA) • current • a nerd.

abbreviation for • not a real gentleman

National Fours n (ETwA) • current • an ETwA tournament with teams consisting of four winkers.

National Handicap Individual Pairs n (ETwA) • current • a one-day ETwA tournament intended to be friendly for novice winkers, which is conducted as an Individual Pairs with handicaps used in scoring. Compare to Individual Pairs, handicap.

abbreviated as • NHIPper

etymology • Named after the CUTwC president during 1993–1994, Jon Williams, who had the nickname "Nipper".

National Pairs n (ETwA) • current • ETwA’s annual pairs championship, held since 1972. The winning pair is eligible to challenge the reigning World Pairs champions.

dates used includes • 1972 to present.

web link • Historical results.

National Singles n (ETwA) • current • ETwA’s annual singles championship, held since 1971. The winning winker is eligible to challenge the reigning World Singles champion.

dates used includes • 1971 to present.

web link • Historical results.

National Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society n • historical • a nationwide tiddlywinks association in the United States.

abbreviated as • NUTS

dates used includes • Operated from 1962 to 1966.

• 27 October 1962 • Harvard Alumni Bulletin (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; page 110) • ⌞Having done this, they went through some quick, intensive calesthenics, picked the four most husky of their numbers, declared they were ready, and proceeded to cries of “Desquop that wink!” and “Squidge it, Harvard,” to vanquish Holy Cross and win first place for Harvard in NUTS, the National Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society.⌟

NATwA n (NATwA) • current • Tiddlywinks association founded on 27 February 1966 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

abbreviation for • North American Tiddlywinks Association

dates used includes • 1966 to present.

web link • Official website.

• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞One was the official abbreviation for the North American Tiddlywinks Association (the abbr. NATwA was accepted after much heated debate).⌟

NATwA Pairs n (NATwA) • current • NATwA’s annual pairs championship, held since 1970. The winning pair is eligible to challenge the reigning World Pairs champions.

dates used includes • 1970 to present.

web link • Historical results.

NATwA Singles n (NATwA) • current • NATwA’s annual singles championship, held since 1972. The winning winker is eligible to challenge the reigning World Singles champion.

dates used includes • 1972 to present

web link • Historical results.

NATwA Song Book n (NATwA) • current • NATwA’s publication of tiddlywinks-themed song lyrics.

web link • Online edition.

NATwAn n (NATwA) • uncommon • a member of NATwA.

needleloom adj (ETwA) • now rare • a material used for tiddlywinks mats before felt was adopted.

• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 20) • ⌞Mats were made of needleloom, a heavy, pileless material supplied by a firm called Peter Shepherd in Reading. They had a rubberised backing, and were slightly less springy than the present mats.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

new cup n (NATwA) • historical • an injection-molded red cup made by a Brooklyn company for NATwA as a successor to the compression-molded red cups that came in official tiddlywinks sets made by Marchant Games and later Ilkeston Toys when stocks of them were depleted.

dates used includes • 1980s–1990s

note • Charles Frankston coordinated efforts and funding sources to acquire the new cups.

Newswink n (NATwA) • historical • an official publication of NATwA.

abbreviated as • NW

dates used includes • Published from 1969 to 1997.

etymology • Back-formation from Newsweek, a U.S. weekly news magazine.

web link • Online editions.

NEWTS or Newts n (ETwA) • historical • the name of an ETwA team.

abbreviation for • New London Tiddlywinks Society

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54, page 2) • ⌞The selection was due to the indefatigable efforts of this lot to go to Newts meetings, despite living up to a hundred miles away!⌟ — by Rob Cartwright (ETwA)

NHIPper n (ETwA) • An ETwA tournament.

abbreviation for • National Handicapped Individual Pairs

nominated wink n • current • a wink of any color that has been selected by a squopped-out pair to be shot as a consequence of the opponents’ failure to free following a squop-out.

note • Used in the ETwA Rules of Tiddlywinks dated May 1992.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞For the first shot of the turn immediately following the failure to free, the player due to play the next colour shall nominate a playable wink of any colour and play it as if it were his own.⌟ — by Jon Mapley
• 21 January 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞Finally can I have a quick survey on people's views on whether to change the current failure to free rule. I'm wholly in favour of the American system (freeing on the first available turn), rather than the old-fashioned British one (freeing on the first available shot), now that the new nominated rule has come in. ⌟ — by Patrick Barrie

North American Tiddlywinks Association n (NATwA) • current • the association of winkers and winks teams in the United States and Canada, founded on 27 February 1966.

abbreviated as • NATwA

dates used includes • 1966 to date

web link • Official website

• 28 February 1966 • Harvard Crimson (Cambridge, Massachusetts; page 6) • ⌞In what has to be the greatest boost to U.S.–Canada relations since the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the two teams put down their winks later that day and organized the North American Tiddlywinks Association.⌟ — by Charles F. Sabel (Harvard University)
• 3 February 1969 • Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire USA; page 16, column 3) • ⌞The 1969 championships of the North American Tiddlywinks Association are scheduled to be held this month at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with four colleges competing.⌟

Northern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship n (ETwA) • historical • an ETwA tournament for students in the north of Great Britain who are attending schools below the college and university level. Compare to Southern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship.

dates used includes • Early 1960s.

• 5 January 1965 • The Times (London, England; page 11, column 2) • ⌞Attending my first and England’s seventh Northern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship today I did not have the authority to promise any hope for the former ambition, but I was able to admire the progress being made in the second.⌟

nurdle vt • current • to shoot a wink that lands in a nurdled position, very close to the pot.

dates used includes • 1962 to present.

note • First used by ETwA’s Hull Guildhall team in 1962.

nurdle, boondock, penhaligon n (ETwA) • current • an ETwA drinking game based on counting.

nurdled adj • current • said of a wink that is very close to the pot, typically below the top rim of the pot and hence probably not easy to pot.

• October 1963 • Winking World (page 4, column 1) • ⌞Nurdled: counter so near the beaker that it is not possible to flick it in"⌟
• 16 November 1974 • Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York USA; page Leisure section 4, column 1) • ⌞"People have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, I know I am very weak at potting nurdeled winks."⌟ — by Joseph Schwartz

nursery game n • current • a derogatory term for low-quality, commercially-available tiddlywinks sets.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 4) • ⌞The development of the modern strategy game out of the Milton Bradley-style nursery game, and the step-by-step evolution of our current rules, tournaments, and teams is a process whose most important stages occurred in England.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

NUTS n • historical = National Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society

abbreviation for • National Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society

dates used includes • Operated in the United States from 1962 to 1966 prior to the establishment of NATwA.

NW n (NATwA) • historical

abbreviation for • Newswink

O

OAK-BYTE¹ n (NATwA) • the telephone number at 64 Dane Street in Somerville, Massachusetts USA: +1-617-OAK-BYTE (+1-617-625-2983).

dates used includes • 1970s to 1980s.

OAK-BYTE² n (NATwA) • the name associated with the house at 64 Dane Street in Somerville, Massachusetts USA, where several winkers of NATwA’s Somerville team lived during the 1970s and 1980s.

dates used includes • 1970s to 1980s.

etymology • Named according to the telephone number, +1-617-OAK-BYTE, which was in service at the house.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 3) • ⌞The car spent most of this free time relaxing in the Oak-byte driveway or in front of the Student Center.⌟

Obwink n (ETwA) • historical • name of ETwA’s Old Bancroftian tiddlywinks team.

dates used includes • 1976

etymology • "OB" refers to "Old Bancroftians" because its winkers previously attended the Bancroft’s School in England.

• January 1976 • Winking World (number 26, page 2) • ⌞Pam and Nigel got an impressive 17 points whilst Obwink struggled.⌟

Old Hall n (ETwA) • historical • a winking venue at Queens’ College, Cambridge, England.

On the Mat n (ETwA) • historical • a report written by Guy Consterdine and published in March 1967 that describes the origins and history of modern tiddlywinks from 1954 to 1957.

dates used includes • Published March 1967.

web link • Online edition.

Other Nations n (ETwA) • current • the name of ETwA’s anthem, composed by Rev. E. A. Willis for use at the CUTwC-Goons match that was held on 1 March 1958.

dates used includes • First sung in public on 1 March 1958.

web link • Lyrics online.

out • current = squopped out

OUTS n (ETwA) • historical

abbreviation for • Oxford University Tiddlywinks Society

outwinked adj • current • said of one or more winkers who have been outplayed by their opponents.

• 27 February 1959 • Yale Daily News (New Haven, Connecticut USA; page 4, column 5) • ⌞In a fiercely fought marathon Cambridge outwinked Oxford for the world tiddlywinks championship yesterday.⌟

Oxford underhand n (ETwA) • now obscure • a shot that attempts to pot a nurdled wink. It involved dragging the wink rather obviously from under the edge of the pot, and letting it go at a convenient distance from the pot. It disregarded the “quick and continuous” stipulation in the rules.

dates used includes • Early 1960s.

note • From CUTwC in the early 1960s.

Oxford University Tiddlywinks Society n (ETwA) • current • the name of an ETwA team representing Oxford University in Oxford, England.

abbreviated as • OUTS

• 10 May 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 4, column 5) • ⌞But after their exhausting contest of three hours and a quarter with the Oxford University Tiddlywinks Society they were disputing Oxford’s claim that the title now belonged to them.⌟

P

Pairs n • current • a type of tournament in which fixed partnerships compete to win.

Palin or apa1n n • current • an all-play-all format, where winkers play against those in the same league once. Compare to Biden.

etymology • Named after Sarah Palin, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate in the United States, due to the similarity of “Palin” to the abbreviation, “10apa1n”.

• 14 October 2008 • Email • ⌞When I see something like “10apa1in” it looks too much like “Palin” and I barf all over my keyboard.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)
• 16 October 2008 • Email • ⌞I agree with Larry that the proposed format for the 10-player final is terrible; the full Palin is the way to go, and there’s no harm in doing around on the Saturday evening.⌟ — by Matt Fayers (ETwA)

pass vi • current • electing not to take a shot during a turn.

Paul McCartney n (ETwA) • current • a boondock shot that results in the shot wink being subbed.

etymology • Back-formation from John Lennon Memorial Shot, which is a boondock and squop.

PBTT n (NATwA) • historical • Someone with great influence over a NATwA Secretary-General.

abbreviation for • Power Behind the Throne

note • Sunshine was the PBTT.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 11, column 2) • ⌞Subsequently, there being so many new winkers, the PBTT made introductions highlighting the uniqueness of each player.⌟
• 17 January 1991 • Email from Joe Sachs to Rick Tucker • ⌞As one of TT behind whom * was the P, it seems to me that there has never been a PBTT in NATwA besides *.⌟ — by Joe Sachs (NATwA)

Penhaligon or penhaligon n (ETwA) • current = Carnovsky Also vi, vt.

etymology • Named after a British TV presenter who managed to pot winks from a distance on his first attempt, on BBC’s Breakfast Time television show.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 29) • ⌞Steve displayed amazing long potting skills by Penhaligoning two winks early on⌟ — by Alan Harper (ETwA)

pentad n (Charles Relle) • now rare • a pile in which five winks are squopped by one wink.

perimeter rule n (NATwA) • current • an opt-in, unofficial rule that dictates that a wink sent off the playing surface is placed anywhere on the perimeter by the opponents, and that the shooting player does not miss his or her next shot. However, if the playing wink’s color is sent off the playing surface in conjunction with any other wink(s), the playing wink’s color misses its next shot.

dates used includes • This optional rule originated in the US in February 1986 and was prominently espoused by Sunshine.

• 22 February 1986 • 1986 Bostinentals digital scoresheet (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA) • ⌞A special rule was in effect affecting winks shot off the table: the opponents of the shooter choose where to place each wink (of any color) on the perimeter of the table (no closer than 4 inches to any other wink). If only one wink was sent off, no turn is missed by the shooter, but if more than one of any color is sent off, a turn is missed.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)
• 9 March 1992 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia; number 26, page 17, column 1) • ⌞Perimeter Rule: When any wink is shot off the field of play, the opponents of the shooter choose where to place the wink (regardless of color) on the perimeter of the mat—7/8 inch from the edge and no closer than 4 inches to any other!wink or occupied baseline. ⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

persimmon n (NATwA) • now obscure = rotating three • a variant (perversion) of the official tiddlywinks game in which three winkers play the two colors of a partnership, rotating uniformly among the three players.

dates used includes • February 1978 NATwA Continentals tournament.

etymology • From persimmon, the fruit; analogy with pear, being a pun on pair, a partnership in the game of tiddlywinks. Coined by NATwA winker, Sunshine.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞Some discussion is expected in the future as to the legality of “persimmons” in other NATwA matches. A “persimmon” consists of three winkers playing in a rotation, no color being controlled by any single winker. It is standard for Chicken Heart practices.⌟

perversion n • current • a game played with winks that is not the standard four-color game played to official rules. Perversions include simulations of other sports (e.g., baseball) plus other variants.

note • Sunshine’s Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents (February 1976) is the seminal publication on perversions.

etymology • Coined by NATwA winker, Sunshine.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4, page 7, column 2) • ⌞Maybe another perversion should also be told about.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)
• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞Perversions flourished in 1971. Besides squop game variations like “tennis”, sadistic games like Squidger and Bite have been experimented with.⌟

Petrie piddle n (NATwA) • obsolete = piddle

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞Petrie piddle—desquopping a wink by squeezing it out from underneath a pile.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

PFTL • current

abbreviation for • pot-from-the-line

phonecard squidger n (ETwA) • now rare • a squidger made from a flexible British Telecom (BT) phonecard.

dates used includes • 1980s

piddle n • current = chip, carve out • a delicate shot on a pile in which a squopped wink is gently freed from it. Also vt.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 2) • ⌞piddle—to make microscopic adjustments in a pile, usually to walk it off a friendly wink.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

piece n (NATwA) • now rare = wink

etymology • From piece in the game of chess.

pile n • current • a group of two or more winks, some squopped and ordinarily one or more free, in which each wink is either squopping another wink in the group, and/or is squopped by another wink in the group.

pile flip n • a shot that results in a wink from within a pile or underneath a squop ending up on top.

• November 1971 • Return of the Missing Wink (page 8, column 1) • ⌞Try to flip pile over on itself by shooting mainly bottom wink.⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

pile-jump n (ETwA) = gromp

• October 1987 • Winking World (number 50, page 13)

PINTS n (ETwA) • historical

abbreviation for • Pinner Tiddlywinks Society.

note • Pinner is located in the London borough of Harrow, northwest of central London.

etymology • A word play on pint, the volume of a serving glass of beer.

pip n (NATwA) • now rare • a notional measure of benefit resulting from a shot.

dates used includes • 1980s.

pivot n • current • the movement of a wink around a point of contact with another wink during a shot.

Plan 47 n (ETwA) • now obscure • potting a partnership’s remaining free winks when many of its winks are squopped in a large pile, with the hope that the opponents will be forced to free a wink from that pile.

etymology • Originated by British winker Gregory Hogg, a schoolfriend and winks partner of Jonathan Mapley, who fell madly in love with a girl whose house number was 47.

plate n (ETwA) • current • a separate tournament or games played involving winkers who did not qualify for the finals of a national championship tournament, along with other winkers who did not play in the tournament.

etymology • A match for defeated players originating in the Wimbledon tennis championships as the All England Plate or Wimbledon Plate, starting in 1896.

• 14 November 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞The format will be the same as in previous years: qualifying leagues on the Saturday and final and losers' plate on the Sunday.⌟ — by Patrick Barrie

playing area n • current • The surface of the mat (3 feet by 6 feet), excluding: (a) the areas behind each baseline in the corners; (b) the area underneath the pot; and (c) portions not supported by a table below.

plexy n (NATwA) • current • a squidger made of Plexiglas.

etymology • Contraction of Plexiglas, a trademark of Autuglas, International.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 12) • ⌞The 2″ plexi-glass sharp monster for pile busting and potting nurdled big winks is impressive, just lying there.⌟

point n • current • either a tiddly (also called a time-limit point) or a game point (also called a match point).

point transfer n • current • the transfer of one game point from the losing side to the winning side in a game that ends in a potout.

points-per-game n • current • the total number of game points earned by a specific winker, pair, or team, divided by the total number of games played.

abbreviated as • ppg

points-per-loss n • current • the total number of game points earned in losses by a specific winker, pair, or team, divided by the total number of games lost.

abbreviated as • ppl

points-per-tie n • current • the total number of game points earned in tied games by a specific winker, pair, or team, divided by the total number of tied games.

abbreviated as • ppt

note • If there are ties, this is 3½. Otherwise, this is undefined.

points-per-win n • current • the total number of game points earned in wins by a specific winker, pair, or team, divided by the total number of games won.

abbreviated as • ppw

poke n (NATwA) • current • the application of a squidger to a wink on a pile using a quick, short stroke that is intended to move a single wink a short distance to result in a desired objective such as a piddle or squop. Also vi, vt.

Port Stanley n (ETwA) = bomb

dates used includes • First used in 1985.

note • Introduced by British winker Devlin in 1985.

etymology • Named after a bombing attack on Port Stanley airfield in the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean, conducted by the British Royal Air Force in 1983.

positional game n • current = Inglis game • a game that is marked by many fine adjustments to the positions of winks on the mat with little offensive squopping throughout most of the game. In Britain, chiefly associated with Nick Inglis—hence sometimes an Inglis game. In the USA in the 1970s, these games were associated with Bill Renke and Ross Callon.

poss n (ETwA) • now rare = feeb • a wink shot no more than a quarter of the distance intended, especially if the shot was an easy one. Also adj.

dates used includes • January 1993.

etymology • Named after Poss Ellis, OUTS winker during the Cambridge Open in January 1993.

• 9 February 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks • ⌞Does Poss know that he is replacing George Michael in the tiddlywinks vocabulary? The only other terms, besides these two, I can recall being used on a regular basis for such a shot are 'feeb', 'totally pathetic wimp', and 'Graham Hancock' (the last two are obviously related).⌟ — by Patrick J. Barrie (ETwA)
• 10 April 1993 • Newswink (number 28, page 10) • ⌞His partner is Oxford first-year, Poss. Imagine Charles’ delight when an enemy wink lands a millimetre away from a Poss wink. Now imagine his consternation when Poss squop attempt falls short⌟

pot¹ n • the cup that is placed at the center of the mat in the official game of tiddlywinks.

dates used includes • 1890

note • In the officially-sanctioned game, It has an external diameter of 48mm at the top and 38mm at the base, and is concave around its side.

• 12 February 1891 • American Stationer (page 320) • ⌞large wood box with lithographed label, box partitioned for the different counters, handsome pot, painted and varnished, with bale and feet⌟

pot² v • to shoot a wink with the objective of having it come to rest inside the pot.

• 12 January 1891 • Dallas Morning News (page 2, column 1) • ⌞each player takes his turn, and the person or couple potting their winks into the pot first wins the game and leaves the table as in progressive euchre.⌟
• January 1961 • Winking World (number 1, page 2) • ⌞All the other rules to remain as at present except that a player should not miss a turn when his wink goes off the mat; and that when a time-limit has been applied, each wink in the pot should count three marks instead of the present two.⌟

pot-five-and-bring-in adj • a strategy for potting out where a winker pots five winks of one color while the sixth and last wink is behind the winker’s starting baseline, and needs to be brought in to play.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 14) • ⌞Having gone off with red, and facing a green pot-out threat, Bob was coerced into a pot-five-and-bring-in strategy with blue.⌟ — by Alan Dean (ETwA)

pot-from-the-line n • current • a Guinness Book of Records event in which twelve small winks at the baseline of the mat are potted in the fewest number of shots.

abbreviated as • PFTL

pot-out or potout n • current • the achievement of having all winks of a color in the pot. Also vi.

• November 1976 • The Return of the Missing Wink (number 4) • ⌞Rule 8. If one color of your pair is getting tied up and the other is still able to pot out, consider doing so.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA))

pot-squop n • current • a game strategy in which one player of a partnership focuses on potting out and remaining pottable, while the partner focuses on squopping the opponents.

• 1970 • Illustrated London News (London, England; volume 256, number 1) • ⌞Pundits will argue hours over two competing strategies. The “Pot-Squop” school plump for one player in a tiddley pair to pot his winks while the other delays the opposition team by “squopping” (covering) their winks with his own. ⌟
• August 1977 • Cornell Alumni News (Ithaca, New York USA; page 23) • ⌞A common strategy, known as “pot-squop”, calls for a player to attempt to shoot all of one color into the cup (pot out) while using his or her other color to squop enemy winks and rescue any winks that become squopped.⌟

pot-style adj • current • holding a squidger at an obtuse (open) angle toward the direction of a shot. Compare to squop-style.

pottable adj • current • said of a wink that potentially can be potted, either directly or indirectly by shooting another wink.

• March 1965 • Winking World (number 5, page 7) • ⌞I feel that the base diameter [of the pot] should be sufficiently less than the rim diameter to make any wink barely touching the base just pottable.⌟ — by Phil Villar (ETwA)
• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞nurdle—to shoot (a wink) too close to the pot to be pottable or otherwise useful.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

potter n • now rare • a winker in a partnership who is selected to pot winks while employing the pot-squop game strategy, and generally the winker who is better at potting than the partner.

• Spring 1977 • Winking World (number 68, page 18) • ⌞This was 1960, and the distinction between potter and squopper existed because double-squop strategy, in which both partners bring in their winks a view to squopping the opponents, had been invented only the year before, in Oxford.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

potting at risk n • current • the attempt to pot a wink during a turn when a winker’s color is due to free an opponent wink at the conclusion of free turns.

potting game (NATwA) • current = baseline pot

ppg n • current

abbreviation for • points-per-game

ppl n • current

abbreviation for • points-per-loss

PPSW n • current

abbreviation for • Prince Philip Silver Wink

ppt n • current

abbreviation for • points-per-tie

ppw n • current

abbreviation for • points-per-win

President's Joke n (CUTwC) • current = Sicilian Bandit Joke

press n (NATwA) • current = tap • a shot consisting predominantly of downward pressure, without a flicking motion. A press shot is often used to free a wink that is barely squopped somewhere in a pile.

Prince Philip Silver Wink or Silver Wink n • current

abbreviated as • PPSW

protect vt, vi • current • to send a wink to land near a pile where it can more readily either (1) squop any opponent winks that may be close enough to easily squop the a wink on the pile, or (2) respond to an opponent getting a wink on the pile.

protected adj • current • said of a pile or wink that has one or more friendly winks nearby that can respond to enemy attacks.

• November 1976 • Return of the Missing Wink (number 4, page 5) • ⌞Rule 4b. If you are ahead, try to avoid making big piles which are not well protected.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

protection n • current • the state of having winks near enough to a pile to be able to squop any opponents approaching the pile.

push shot n • current • a shot consisting overwhelmingly of lateral pressure (with little or no downward pressure), which is contrary to the rules.

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Push-shot · An illegal shot in which the wink is pushed, not squidged.⌟

PVC n • current • a plastic material that has been used for making squidgers, typically light gray in color.

abbreviation for • polyvinyl chloride

note • PVC was first used by Larry Kahn in making squidgers

web link • Product website.

• 1 July 1981 • Newswink (number 13) • ⌞In 1974 at the Marine Ocean Laboratory he [Larry Kahn] first worked with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for squidgers. ⌟ — by Sunshine (NATwA)

Q

QESH n (ETwA) • historical = QUESH • the name of an ETwA team.

etymology • A team named from Queen Ethelburga’s School, when it was located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, an establishment having nothing at all to do with any of the players on the team, but which they once happened to drive past

quad n (NATwA) • historical = quadrupeton • a pile in which four winks are squopped by one wink.

quadrupleton n (ETwA) • current = quad

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 41) • ⌞Blue still had the green doubleton, and when green missed a long squop and landed on a yellow, Matt took a quadrupleton with a big red. ⌟ — by John Haslegrave (ETwA)

Quarter Blue n (ETwA) • current • an award presented to a CUTwC winker for playing against Oxford.

• retrieved 15 May 2020 • Traditional Terms • ⌞Quarter Blue. Awarded for participation in the Varsity Match against OUTS. There is an accompanying scarf (and umbrella), which is—as anyone who has seen the far-more-common half-blue can guess—three-quarters white, one quarter Cambridge Blue.⌟

QuCTwC n (ETwA) • historical • the Queens’ College Tiddlywinks Club at Cambridge University in England.

QUESH (ETwA) • historical = QESH

quick and continuous adj • current • said of a shot in which the squidger is moved without hesitation or discontinuity during the execution of the shot.

• October 1961 • Winking World (number 2, page 4, column 1) • ⌞There Will be no change in the E.Tw.A. Rules for the coming season. The experimental idea outlined in W.W. No. 1 has caused much interest and a certain measure of support, but not enough to justify a permanent change. On the desquopping shot, the player’s wink must first come in contact only with his own wink. The shot must be short, continuous, and in the course of the shot, the squidger may only touch winks which were vertically below the covering wink at the beginning of the shot.⌟
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 7) • ⌞From the moment when a wink starts to move irreversibly, the movement of the squidger must be quick and continuous.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

QUILTS n (ETwA) • historical • the name of an ETwA team formed by players originally from Queens’ College, Cambridge, England.

abbreviation for • QUeensmen In London Tiddlywinks Society

note • The QUILTS team competed for the Marchant Trophy

R

rabbit-bashing n • current • racking up high scores when playing against very weak opponents.

• 23 November 1985 • Newswink (Falls Church, Virginia USA; number 19, page 12, column 1) • ⌞The ambiguity inherent in a round robin has created a tournament system in which the ability to "bash rabbits" is most important.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

ramp n • current • a wink in a pile that is leaning against another wink and is also touching the mat.

rating n • current • a numerical estimate of the strength of a winker relative to other winkers, calculated using actual scores from the winker’s performance in tournaments.

note • Ratings of winker play in tournaments is maintained by ETwA.

• ETwA.org website • ⌞Tiddlywinks World Ratings⌟ — by Patrick Barrie (ETwA)
• 2003 • Journal of Applied Statistics (volume 30, number 4, page 361-372) • ⌞A new sports ratings system: The tiddlywinks world ratings⌟ — by Patrick Barrie (ETwA)

Red Scarf n (NATwA) • current • nickname of NATwA winker, Bill Gammerdinger.

etymology • Bill Gammerdinger regularly wore a red scarf to tiddlywinks tournaments to distinguish himself from other winkers.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Bill “Red Scarf” Gammerdinger⌟ — by Bill Gammerdinger (NATwA)

Redbeard n (ETwA) • Onetime nickname of ETwA winker, Nick Inglis.

dates used includes • 1993

regionals n (NATwA) • historical • NATwA’s Eastern Regional and Western Regional tournaments, played from the 1960s through the early 1980s.

regulation n (NATwA) • current • the period of a game starting once the first shot after squidge-off has completed, and ending at the last shot before the first round of five rounds is played at the end of a tiddlywinks game.

• 11 June 1978 • Written Word (page 3, column 2) • ⌞Regulation play consists of all shots prior to the end of the time period.⌟ — by Joe Sachs (NATwA)
• 4 July 2006 • ETwA, NATwA email list • ⌞Rounds are taking as long as, and sometimes longer than, what the Americans call regulation.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)
• 21 October 2006 • Winking World (number 85, page 5, column 1) • ⌞Game Seven, with the scores level, promised to be even more tense than the rest, with the real possibility that fewer than 12 rounds would be played in regulation, an average of fewer than two turns per person per wink.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

relevant adj • current • describing a wink in a position where it fulfills a useful function, e.g., protecting a pile or threatening a wink or pile.

Relix n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed from by members of the Zoo team.

etymology • From Relix, a newsletter for fans of the musical band, the Grateful Dead.

Renaissance n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed in fall 1976.

etymology • Named after the Renaissance bookstore in Ithaca, New York.

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞The first double-quad Continentals was held at MIT on February 18-19. Six teams took part in both divisions. Defending champion and pre-match favorite Renaissance stumbled out of the starting blocks, being dealt the team’s first ever head to head defeat by oft overlooked and underrated MIT.⌟
• May-June 1979 • Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; page 37) • ⌞Joe Sachs, secretary-general of the North American Tiddlywinks Association (NATwA), wore a T-shirt that had the name of his club team, Renaissance, on the front and WORLD CUP WINKS on the back.⌟

resquidge vi • current • to conduct the squidge-off again between winkers whose squidge-offs were equally near the pot. Also n.

Rick Tucker squidger n (ETwA) • now rare • 1½ inch diameter marbled-effect, sharp squidger, usually yellow, as sold to ETwA players during 1985 US tour; more generally, any squidger made by NATwA winker Rick Tucker since 1979.

rim shot n (NATwA) • current • a shot during which a wink bounces off the top edge of the pot.

Rivendell n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team formed by Severin Drix.

etymology • Named after a fictional place in books by author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rocinante n (NATwA) • historical • Rosie Wain and Andy Tomaszewski, winking partners of NATwA.

etymology • Portmanteau of the winker names, Rosie Wain and Andy Tomaszewski; a pun on the name of Don Quixote’s horse in the novel, Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Dear Rocinante, other freaks and N.A. winkers⌟

roll vi • current • to revolve a wink over and over on the mat along its circumferential edge as a result of a shot.

• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M7) • ⌞The Cambridge club has also considered spin (which it says is forward after squidging) and rolling—nothing is more frustrating than to successfully get a wink near the pot, only to see it roll away.⌟

rotate vt, vi (NATwA) • current • to adjust a mobile, free wink by turning the wink around in its place on the mat.

rotating three n (ETwA) • current = persimmon

rounds n • current • the portion of play after time expiration when a potout has not occurred.

note • There are five rounds in the official Rules of Tiddlywinks.

• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 19) • ⌞In the year 1960-1961, the time limit, already provided for in the rules, began to be introduced more generally. The Varsity match of 1961 was played to a 35 minute time limit. The refinement of having an extra five rounds at the end came in much later.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

rules narg n (ETwA) • current = judge • a winker who knows the finer points of the rules, and may be summoned during a game to explain what should happen in a particular unusual situation. Compare to narg.

run six vi • current • to pot all six winks of a color in successive shots in a single turn.

• 13 February 1982 • Newswink (number 14, page 13) • ⌞S[everin Drix] runs 6 and the match ends 30½–11½.⌟

S

Sachs squidge-off n (NATwA) • now rare • a squidge-off style where the squidger is used in a squop-style manner; in other words, at an angle down in the direction of the shot.

etymology • Invented by NATwA winker Josef Sachs in the mid-1970s.

safe adj (NATwA) • current • a wink in a position where it is unlikely to be squopped.

• 16 February 1980 • Newswink (number 10) • ⌞Jon missed his sixth wink well, then was able to bring it close to cup safe and pot it the next round.⌟ — by Dave Lockwood (NATwA)

salmon pink n (ETwA) • now rare • one of the 1½ inch diameter marbled-effect squidgers made from gambling chips in Britain in the early 1980s; many were salmon pink in color.

Samson n (NATwA) • now rare • onetime nickname of NATwA winker Severin Drix in the late 1960s.

dates used includes • Late 1960s.

etymology • Named due to the biblical character Samson’s locks of hair, since Severin Drix had long hair at that time.

• 10 January 1967 • Letter to Michael S. Gottesman • ⌞I have been in correspondence with Rosie Wain, an old friend of mine now at Cornell, and they have a lively winks club there apparently, run by a guy with the tremendous name of Severin Drix (alias Sampson) ..!⌟ — by Pat Bonham (ETwA)

Schiller squidger n (NATwA) • now rare • a sharp-edged squidger made by and sold by NATwA winker Tim Schiller in 1973, produced by turning on a lathe the plain round-edged squidgers that came in official tiddlywinks sets produced by Marchant Games and its successor, Ilkeston Toys.

Scottish Pairs n (ScotTwA) • historical • ScotTwA’s annual pairs championship, held from 1993 to 1998. The winning pair was eligible to challenge the reigning World Pairs champions.

ScotTwA n (ScotTwA) • historical • the Scottish Tiddlywinks Association. Revived in 1992; previously organized in some form in the 1960s. As of 2004, no longer active.

web link • ScotTwA's digitized publications.

ScotTwAn n (ScotTwA) • historical • a member of ScotTwA.

dates used includes • 1994

Scruffy Little Urchin n • now rare • nickname of ETwA winker Chris Abrams.

abbreviated as • SLU

dates used includes • In the 1990s.

scrunge n (ETwA) • current = bounce out • to shoot a wink that bounces in and then out of the pot.

dates used includes • 1962

etymology • First used by ETwA’s Hull Guildhall team in 1962.

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 11) • ⌞Scrunged: when a counter bounces out of the beaker.⌟
• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 28) • ⌞Alas, my boyish good looks and amazing scrunging abilities weren’t enough to lure either of them away from the tropical climes they were visiting.⌟ — by Alan Harper (ETwA)

Sec-Gen n • current = Secretary-General

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞At the abbreviated Congress, SecGen Joe Sachs expressed willingness to continue in the office only if regional coordinators would play an active part next season.⌟

Secretary-General n • current • title of the person responsible for directing and overseeing all duties of a tiddlywinks association (IFTwA, ETwA, NATwA).

abbreviated as • Sec-Gen

• 13 June 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 13, column 4) • ⌞The congress, which was sponsored by the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club, also formed an English Tiddlywinks Association and appointed the Rev. E. A. Willis, a retired Minister, of Richmond, Surrey, who has played tiddlywinks for more than 50 years, as its secretary general.⌟
• 27 February 1959 • The News and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina USA; page 6-A, column 5) • ⌞The Rev. E. A. Willis, secretary general of the English Tiddlywinks Assn., umpired one of the games and told skeptical onlookers: “This is a game that requires a lot of skill.”⌟
• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞Mitchell Wand, the “hard-driving intense field general of MIT” was re-elected for the third consecutive year to the post of Secretary-General.⌟
• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 6) • ⌞The only person from those teams that the Cornell and MIT winkers got to know at all was Mike Gottesman, the Harvard captain, who was chosen Secretary-General of NATwA when it was founded.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

seduce vt • current • to tempt an opponent into trying a risky shot.

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Seduce · To tempt the opponent into trying a chancy shot.⌟

seduction distance n (ETwA) • obsolete • the distance between opposing winks that is likely to seduce the opponent to try a squop

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Seduction Distance · Distance most likely to seduce the opponent; the distance at which the chance of successfully squopping is 50-50.⌟

self-protecting adj • current • said of a pile that can easily be gromped or bristoled to squop nearby opponent winks.

SEPTIC n (CUTwC) • current • the organization consisting of the president and prior presidents of the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club in England.

abbreviation for • Society of Ex-Presidential Tiddlywinkers In Cambridge

web link • Facebook page

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 10) • ⌞Despite the threat of a SEPTIC 7-0 in one of the first games there was no champagne until the very end with a pot-out from Stew (I think).⌟ — by Ben Fairbairn (ETwA)

set n • current • the winks and pot used in playing the game of tiddlywinks.

• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M7) • ⌞Even in apparently uniform sets, sometimes “borrowed from small brothers and sisters for an indefinite period,” measurement has often shown one wink is twice as thick as another.⌟
• October 1963 • Winking World (number 3, page 4) • ⌞The official tiddlywinks equipment—sets of winks, felt mat, and books of the International Rules—can be obtained direct from the manufacturers, Marchant Games Ltd, Goldings Hill, Loughton, Essex. ⌟

set up vt, vi • current • to move a wink already on top of a pile so it is better positioned to make a future desired shot, such as potting or bristoling.

sharp adj • current = thin squidger • said of a squidger with a thin, sharp shooting circumferential edge. Compare to blunt.

shoot vt, vi • current • to make a shot. Compare to shot¹.

shot¹ n • current • a squidge and the corresponding results; the act of playing a wink. Compare to turn.

• 1955 • The Thesis (Cambridge, England) • ⌞A tiddlywink is deemed as played if it is observed by a majority of persons who observed the shot to have left the pitch.⌟
• circa 1960 • The Rules of Tiddlywinks • ⌞Each player may play only his own winks and has one shot per turn, with an additional shot for every wink he pots in that turn.⌟

shot² interjection • current • an exclamation of commendation for a well-made shot.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 2) • ⌞shot—an exclamation of commendation for a good shot. Antonym: Unlucky. A Briticism, with some currency in America⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

shot judge n (NATwA) • current = umpire • a person who judges whether a shot is performed in compliance with the rules of tiddlywinks.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Early in rounds, Jon decided to pot out of a pile. Dave demanded a shot judge. Jon objected strongly, claiming that the request was purely intimidatory as the legality of the shot would be obvious. Eventually Alan watched from a diplomatic distance as Jon made the difficult pot look easy.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

Shrewsbury Open n (ETwA) • An ETwA tournament hosted at Shrewsbury School, in Shropshire, England.

SiBo (ETwA) • current

abbreviation for • Sick Boy

Sicilian Bandit Joke n (CUTwC) • current = President's Joke • a joke told and retold at CUTwC dinners.

Sick Boy n (ETwA) • current • nickname of ETwA winker Patrick Driscoll.

abbreviated as • SiBo

etymology • Patrick Driscoll was called "Sick Boy" by fellow CUTwC winkers starting in his second year at Cambridge University. After he was challenged about his commitment to winks, he claimed (falsely) to have had glandular fever, though in fact he was at a notorious Cambridge night spot called Cindy's. (Source: 30 April 2019 correspondence via Facebook between Patrick Driscoll and Rick Tucker.)

side-by-side n (ETwA) • current = tangent

sideways amigos n (CUTwC) • now obscure • the act of positioning a Mars Bar traversely in the mouth prior to performing an amigos.

etymology • Performed at CUTwC drinking sessions in the 1980s.

sideways bristol n • current • a shot similar to a Bristol except the squidger is not held parallel to the intended direction of the wink being played.

Silver Wink or Prince Philip Silver Wink n • current • a trophy donated by Prince Philip that is awarded to the winners of intervarsity university team matches in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

dates used includes • Initiated during the 1960-1961 season; the trophy was first awarded in 1961.

etymology • Named for the design by Robert Welch of London in 1960, by royal commission, of the trophy that includes a rotating large silver wink near its top.

web link • Photograph.

single n (NATwA) • current • one person playing both sides of a partnership in a game normally played by a pair, e.g. in the Pairs.

single squop n (NATwA) • current = singleton

Singles n • current • a tiddlywinks match in which one player plays both colors of a partnership.

singleton n (ETwA) • current = single squop • a one-on-one squop separate from other piles.

• November 2008 • Winking World (number 90, page 39) • ⌞Matthew: ‘I don’t know why we’re all attacking this poxy singleton.’⌟

SLU n (ETwA) • now rare

abbreviation for • Scruffy Little Urchin

dates used includes • 1990s

SLUTS n • historical • the name of a NUTS team from Smith College, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts.

abbreviation for • Smith Ladies Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society

dates used includes • 1962

• 12 December 1962 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; volume 82, number 26, page 2, column 2) • ⌞The Smith Ladies Undergraduate Tiddlywinks Society (SLUTS) defeated the Tech Newspaper Tiddlywinkers (TNT) in a hard fought match last Saturday.⌟ — by Richard S. Russell (MIT)

snaffle vt (ETwA) • now rare = eat

snoove vi (ETwA) • current • to play a positional shot

• April 2007 • Winking World (number 87, page 36) • ⌞Andy accepted that he couldn’t catch red, and snooved himself more bristollable.⌟ — by Andrew Garrard, with help from Patrick Barrie (ETwA)
• retrieved 15 May 2020 • CUTwC.org web page: Tiddlywinks shots • ⌞Squop-style shots are often used for tactical positioning of winks to strengthen an area (the "snoove") or as a minor repositioning in the absence of anything better to do (the "brundle").⌟

Sojaks n (NATwA) • now rare • Refers to NATwA winker Joe Sachs.

• 5 July 1978 • Written Word (page 1) • ⌞A SOJAKS PRODUCTION.⌟ — by Joe Sachs (NATwA)

Somerset Invitation n (ETwA) • historical • an exclusive invitational tournament once held annually by ETwA winker Stew Sage in Chilcompton, Somerset.

Somervillain n (NATwA) • historical • a winker on the NATwA Somerville team.

• September 1970 • Newswink (number 3) • ⌞If in Michigan, I’d probably team up with Perlo and form one, and if in Philly, I’d play with Sunshine, while if in Boston, I’m a Somervillain.⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

Somerville n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team originally based in Somerville, Massachusetts and associated with the residence at 64 Dane Street and its OAK-BYTE telephone number.

Sotwink n (ETwA) • historical • the name of an ETwA club based in Southampton.

Southern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship n (ETwA) • historical • an ETwA tournament for students in the south of Great Britain who are attending schools below the college and university level. Compare to Northern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship.

dates used includes • 1960s.

• October 1960 • Winking World (number 0, page 2) • ⌞A Southern Junior Tiddlywinks Championship is planned for this Christmas period and will be held in London.⌟

SOW • current

abbreviation for • squidge-off winner

Spike n (NATwA) • onetime nickname of NATwA winker Carl Chenkin.

sponned adj (ETwA) • obsolete • said of a wink on which an opponent is kneeling or standing, typically when the mat is placed on the floor or on a low stand.

dates used includes • 1962

note • First used by ETwA’s Hull Guildhall team in 1962.

etymology • Derived from the Goons radio show entitled “The Spon Plague”.

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 11) • ⌞Sponned: when an opponent kneels or stands on your counter.⌟

springy adj • current • the resilience of a tiddlywinks mat when a wink is squidged or played on it. Compare to dead.

squabble n (ETwA) • obsolete = pile

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Squabble · A connected pile or group of winks.⌟

squabblesome adj (ETwA) • obsolete • said of a winker or game that is likely to have piles of winks

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Squabblesome · Liable to get involved in a squabble or squabbles.⌟

squallop vt (CUTwC) • obsolete = squop

• 1956 • CUTwC rules

squapt (CUTwC) • obsolete = squopped, squopped out

• 1956 • CUTwC rules

squidge vt, vi • current • to apply a squidger to a wink to make a shot. Also n.

• 17 March 1959 • The Times (London, England; page 12, column 4) • ⌞the Bomber Command team has adopted as its motto “squidge hard, squidge sure.”⌟
• January 1961 • Winking World (number 1, page 4)
• 21 February 1966 • The Progress (Pennsylvania USA; page 17, column 5) • ⌞If you squop my wink, it’ll be a difficult squidge to score a plop.⌟

squidge-in n • current • the play of a previously unplayed wink from behind a baseline on the mat. Also vi.

squidge-off n • current • the determination of which color starts a game by shooting a wink of each color toward the pot from its baseline. The closest color to the pot wins the squidge-off. Also vi.

• 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 3, column 1) • ⌞In the middle 1930s Potter found the old traditions being travested, for winks were actually being potted within half an hour of the squidge-off.⌟ (This article contains sarcastic fiction.)

squidger¹ n • current • the round instrument used by a winker to play winks.

note • A squidger may be no smaller than 25 mm (formerly 1 inch) in diameter, no greater than 51 mm (formerly 2 inches) in diameter, and no greater than 5 mm (formerly 3/8 inch) in thickness at its edge.

• 18 June 1955 • Daily Mirror (London, England; page 9, column 4) • ⌞"The winks are the little ones, and the big round ones are called squidgers.["]⌟
• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞Lee Cousins, in kilt, came a very close second and drove all the women crazy with his sporran full of squidgers.⌟

squidger² n • now rare = potter Compare to squopper.

• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞It set up two-man units each with a powerful offensive squidger and a canny defensive squopper.⌟

squidging adj • current • performing a squidge; shooting a wink with a squidger in the game of tiddlywinks.

• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (Cambridge University; volume Appendix B, page 30) • ⌞The players play for start by squidging a counter to the cup; the one nearest starts.⌟ (This report is also known as The Thesis)
• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M6) • ⌞To keep squidging muscles in supple condition before a match, Cambridge tiddlywinkers twiddle their thumbs during lectures.⌟

squop¹ vt • to play a wink so it comes to rest vertically above some or all parts of another wink.

• 24 March 1972 • Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts USA; page 3) • ⌞MIT’s eight-man North American championship tiddlywinks team, boasting 26 collective years of practice at squidging, squopping, and potting, is flying to England tonight in hopes of out-potting Southhampton University for the World Championship.⌟

squop² n • a shot resulting in a wink coming to rest vertically above any portion of another wink.

• 14 December 1962 • Life magazine (New York, New York USA; page 121, column 1) • ⌞Harvard's defensive specialist tiddled a deft squop.⌟
• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 121) • ⌞Hold That Squop!⌟
• 1 November 1965 • Cornell Daily Sun (Ithaca, New York; page 4) • ⌞A "squop" is a shot which puts one wink over another, paralyzing the bottom wink until it is freed (unsquopped).⌟ — by Adele S. Diamond

squop³ vt • to be hit or covered by something, often violently.

• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞Phil Villar, travelling alone back to Hartford, had an uncontrollable sneezing fit and was promptly squopped by a truck.⌟

squop, Bristol, John Lennon memorial shot n (ETwA) • an ETwA drinking game.

squop-style adj • current • holding the squidger at a sharp angle toward the direction of a shot, hence with the squidger angled downward in the direction of the shot of a wink. Compare to pot-style.

• 29 September 1990 • Newswink (number 25) • ⌞Back in 1979 Joe Sachs introduced the squop-style bring-in and had great success with it.⌟ — by Larry Kahn (NATwA)

squopped adj • current • a wink that in whole or in part is vertically below another wink.

squopped-out adj (NATwA) • current = squopped-up • a game situation in which all winks of one color (or both colors of a partnership) are squopped or in the pot.

squopped-up adj (ETwA) • current = squopped-out

squopper n • obsolete • a winker in a partnership who is better at squopping than potting in the pot-squop game strategy. Compare to squidger².

• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞It set up two-man units each with a powerful offensive squidger and a canny defensive squopper.⌟
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 18) • ⌞This was 1960, and the distinction between potter and squopper existed because double-squop strategy, in which both partners bring in their winks a view to squopping the opponents, had been invented only the year before, in Oxford.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

Squopsman n (ScotTwA) • historical • the official publication of the Scottish Tiddlywinks Association in the 1990s.

dates used includes • the first issue was published in June 1993, and the last in August 1995.

etymology • In rhyming imitation of the name of the Caledonian newspaper, The Scotsman.

web link • Online editions.

squopt adj (ETwA) • obsolete = squopped-out

• 2 March 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 16, column 3) • ⌞The Duke’s Goons are squopted⌟
• 7 April 1958 • Sports Illustrated (page M6) • ⌞If both members of a pair have all their winks covered, they are said to be squopt.⌟

stack (ETwA) • obsolete = gromp

note • Used by the Pinner Tiddlywinks Society

StATs n • historical

abbreviation for • Saint Andrews Tiddlywinks Society in Scotland

dates used includes • 1990s

• 1 November 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞I'd just like to say that the four members of StATS greatly enjoyed their visit to the Teams of Four in Oxford this weekend.⌟ — by Ben Soares

sticky adj • current • said of a squidger and wink when the squidger does not slide smoothly on the wink during a shot.

stoplight n • uncommon • a linear squop with three winks of the same size: one green, the next yellow, and then red. Also adj.

Straight n (NATwA) • historical • the Willard Straight Hall (building) or the Willard Straight Memorial Room (room), a winking venue at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

strategy break n (NATwA) • current • the time taken between or during tiddlywinks games to partake in smoking marijuana.

• February 1975 • Newswink (number 6, page 4 (marked as "x"), column 1) • ⌞It has been said that the success of Canadian winking today is largely attributable to the development of that essential part of the game known as the strategy break.⌟

streaking n (NATwA) • current • a perversion in which the goal is to pot as many winks in a row as possible without missing.

etymology • Named after the fad, called streaking, in the mid-1970s where people ran naked outside en masse.

web link • Rules online in the publication, Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

stroke vt • current • to lightly apply a squidger across the top surface of a wink prior to making a shot, as an aid in mentally preparing for making the shot.

sub vt, vi • current = submarine • to shoot a wink that ends up coming to rest under another wink, thereby squopped.

etymology • Contraction of the term submarine.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 2) • ⌞sub or submarine v.t. or v.i. To shoot a wink (usually one’s own) under another.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen
• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Larry and Charles were soon involved in a close game, which Charles won when Larry subbed a Bristol late in rounds.⌟ — by Andy Purvis (ETwA)

submarine vt, vi • current = sub

etymology • Named after a submarine vessel that submerges in a body of water.

• September 1970 • Newswink (number 3) • ⌞In freeing my opponent’s wink at the end of free turns, it submarined under a very critical pile, of which I had control.⌟

submissive corners n • uncommon • the pair of diagonally-opposite corners of a mat that are considered less desirable than the other pair of corners. When a player is standing behind a submissive corner, his left side is near the long (six foot) edge of the mat, and his right side is near the short (three foot) edge of the mat. Compare to dominant corners.

Sunsch n (NATwA) • current = Sunshine

etymology • A shortened nickname for NATwA winker Sunshine.

Sunshine n (NATwA) • current • nickname of NATwA winker David Sheinson.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Every year, the Mythical Yvonne F. Lukey Memorial Award is given to the player who succeeds in making the most improbably shot of the Continentals tournament. This year it is awarded to Sunshine of HYTHNLBTWOC who, during a game with Lindsey Horenblas and Wendy Levinson of Toronto, potted seven winks in a row.⌟
• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 1) • ⌞Sunshine explained thing this way: “There was a forty per cent chance of us beating them if Bill played fifty per cent of the time with his left hand while handcuffed to VV’s ankle because the statistics clearly show that ninety per cent of all pairs who play handcuffed together have a thirty per cent chance of making two foot pots in the fifth round, providing of course the moon is full and they ate asparagus for breakfast.[“]⌟
• May-June 1979 • Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; page 41) • ⌞The legendary figure with the late-Sixties ponytail and the bare feet, whose nom de tiddly is Sunshine.⌟

Supreme Dean or Supremo n (NATwA) • current • nickname of ETwA winker Alan Dean.

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞Jim [Marlin] went in search of the Supreme Dean. Alan Dean, it is written, is the Secretary of ETwA and the English Singles Champion and the holder of many records and trophies. His squidger is believed to be made of gold and his fingers precise instruments capable of potting winks and squopping piles at great distances.⌟
• May-June 1979 • Harvard Magazine (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; page 41) • ⌞They had a player named Alan Dean, who was called The Supreme Dean and was thought to be unapproachable in ability.⌟

T

tangent adj (NATwA) • current = side-by-side • said of two winks that are very close to each other but not squopping each other.

tap vt (ETwA) • current = press • to shoot a wink with a light, mostly downward force on its top face.

tar baby n • current • a pile that attracts opponent winks that subsequently become squopped into the pile.

note • First used in tiddlywinks by Bob Henninge in 1990

etymology • derived from the Uncle Remus story, Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby, by Joel Chandler Harris (1881).

TD n (NATwA) • current = TO

abbreviation for • Tournament Director

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞In the last tournament of the great “twenty minute time limit” experiment, confusion and disorganization were widespread; trying to save some time, it was agreed that each team would play both opponents simultaneously instead of having team versus team rounds, and TD Joe was unable to keep the cogs, let alone the games, running smoothly.⌟

TDI n (NATwA) • historical • nickname of NATwA winker Saul Agranoff.

abbreviation for • The Dumb Indian

teams of four n (ETwA) • current • the ETwA National Fours.

tempo¹ n • an abstract measure of the positive value of a good shot compared to the potential for opponents to recover from it.

• 21 October 2006 • Winking World (number 85, page 3, column 1) • ⌞Matthew twice employed boondocks to gain winks and tempo.⌟

tempo² n • an advantage gained by forcing an opponent into taking a particular shot, which thereby allows your partnership the opportunity to take a turn to make one or more shots to your side's advantage. This is therefore essentially a measure of who has the initiative during a portion of a winks game.

etymology • from the game of chess.

tetrad n (Charles Relle) = quad

Thesis n (CUTwC) • historical • nickname of The Science of Tiddlywinks, a study published by members of CUTwC in 1955.

web link • Online edition.

• 3 March 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 7, column 4) • ⌞This saying has been taken to heart by the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club. whose 25-page thesis on the science of tiddlywinks it prefaces.⌟

thin squidger n • current • a squidger with an edge that is sharp rather than rounded. Compare to blunt.

dates used includes • Starting around 1972.

thirty-second rule n • current • a rule enacted in the 1980s in which a partnership has the option to stop the game clock after 30 seconds has elapsed since the previous shot and when the opponents have not yet made a shot.

Thorpe's Ring n (ETwA) • current = circular squop • a pile in which all winks are squopped. A circular pile is one kind of a Thorpe’s Ring.

etymology • Named after ETwA winker Geoff Thorpe.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Consider a Thorpe’s Ring situation. One green in the pot, one free blue, and 22 winks in a circular pile.⌟ — by Geoffe Thorpe (ETwA)

tickle vt • current • to shoot a wink that is on another wink with very light force, not disturbing other winks in the pile

tiddle vt, vi • obsolete • to shoot a wink. Also n, adj.

• 16 July 1958 • New York Herald Tribune • ⌞But the defending player tries to tiddle his wink out of danger.⌟
• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞The touch that won a tiddle title.⌟
• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞and the basic cheer, “Tiddle the Wink!”⌟
• March 1977 • Youth (page 45) • ⌞The small plastic discs are the winks; there is no “tiddle”.⌟ — by Daniel Dern (NATwA)

tiddledy • historical = tiddly

Tiddledy-Winks or tiddledy winks n • historical • the original spelling of the game of tiddlywinks.

etymology • The trademark application for TIDDLEDY-WINKS was submitted by Joseph Assheton Fincher of London, England, on 29 January 1889 and approved on 15 May 1889 in England.

• 28 February 1889 • The Times (London, England; page 1, column 5) • ⌞TIDDLEDY-WINKS.—Just out, a splendid NEW GAME, price 1s. [...] At all dealers.—JAQUES and SON, Hatton-garden, E.C.⌟
• 14 December 1889 • Manchester Times (Manchester, England; number 1690, page 1, column 5) • ⌞Spoof, Tiddledy Winks, Flitterkins [in an advertisement]⌟
• 2 August 1890 • Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (New York, New York USA; page 560, column 4) • ⌞The New Game! TIDDLEDY WINKS. By mail on receipt of Fifty cents. PUBLISHED BY E.I. HORSMAN, 80 & 82 William St., N. Y.⌟
• 15 September 1890 • Worcester Daily Spy (Worcester, Massachusetts USA) • ⌞Just Out. TIDDLEDY WINK! The most enchanting and fascinating game for young or old in the market. All the rage in Boston and New York. Price only 25c. For sale by C. F. HANSON & CO., 317 Main st.⌟
• 25 September 1890 • Sunday and Daily Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts USA; page 8, column 1) • ⌞“Tiddledy Winks.” A new puzzle in great demand, but no supply.⌟
• 8 October 1890 • Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland USA; page 2, column 4) • ⌞GAMES.—TIDDLEDY WINKS, 25 CTS.⌟
• 15 October 1890 • Burlington Hawk-Eye (Burlington, Iowa USA; page 3, column 2) • ⌞“Tiddledy Winks,” the latest craze, at Gnahn’s book store.⌟
• 15 October 1890 • Ipswitch Journal (Ipswitch, England USA; number 9258, page 6, column 2) • ⌞I was glad the parcel contained our favourite Tiddledy-winks, which some of you already know already. We played it with partners, as suggested by the new copyright directions, and my little friends grew merry and excited. The flying counters and shrieks of laughter testified to their appreciation of this game of games.⌟
• 29 October 1890 • Alton Daily Telegraph (Alton, Illinois USA; page 3, column 5) • ⌞The game is an effort to apply the pressure of a big ivory chip called a “tiddledy” to six small ivory chips called “winks” so as to cause them to hop, skip, jump or fly into a cup, placed at the supposed center of a circle whose circumference would pass through the middle “winks” of each player’s group as originally placed.There have been rages before, of one sort or another, but Tiddledy Winks outdoeth them all.⌟
• 7 November 1890 • The young folks’ cyclopædia of games & sports (page 725) • ⌞TIDDLEDY WINKS. A game played by any number of persons, singly or as partners, on a table covered with a thick cloth.⌟ — by John D. Champlin Jr. & Arthur E. Bostwick
• 10 December 1890 • Atchison Daily Globe (Atchison, Kansas USA; number 4061, column 6) • ⌞The latest rage in the east is a game called “Tiddledy Winks.” There are so many games in the east that the western man comes honestly by his idea that the people back there do nothing else but take afternoon naps and play games.⌟
• 19 December 1890 • Daily Huronite (Huron, South Dakota USA; page 4, column 2) • ⌞The Chicago Post declares that tiddledy wink will produce softening of the brain.⌟
• 21 December 1890 • The Morning Call (San Francisco, California USA) • ⌞In the East it has become a veritable craze, and all social affairs are considered dull and insipid unless tiddledy winks is introduced.⌟

tiddlepot n • obsolete = pot¹, cup

• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞It embraced such comments as "the squidge," i.e., the basic winking shot, the shooting of a disk into the tiddlepot, or cup.⌟

tiddler n • obsolete = winker

• 9 May 1958 • New York Times (New York, New York USA) • ⌞Is a player properly called a tiddler or a winker?⌟
• 1990 • The Saturday Evening Post (page 66) • ⌞The top tiddler of Richfield Center, Michigan, unfortunately couldn’t leave well enough alone.⌟

tiddleywinks n • historical = tiddlywinks • an alternative spelling for the game of tiddlywinks.

• May 1901 • The Royal Magazine (London, England; page 81, column 1) • ⌞To begin with, a good sized table covered with a thich springy cloth is required. Instead of balls, which obviously would be impossible to manage in a room, counters are used in the same way as in that popular pastime, tiddley-winks.⌟ — by Stanley White

tiddling n • deprecated • the playing of tiddlywinks.

• 14 December 1962 • Life (page 122) • ⌞Intercollegiate tiddling infected America last fall when a team from Oxford came to the U.S.⌟

tiddly n • deprecated = time-limit-point • the unit of points calculated at the end of a tiddlywinks game that are used to determine the finishing order of colors for assigning match (or game) points. For each color, 3 tiddlies are earned for each wink in the pot and 1 tiddly is earned by each other unsquopped wink in play. Plural: tiddlies.

dates used includes • May 1993.

• May 1993 • The Rules of Tiddlywinks

tiddlywink n • now rare = wink

tiddlywinker n • now rare = winker

• 25 February 1967 • Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York USA; page 20) • ⌞Mighty Big Red Tiddlywinkers Dash Opponents… Good Show, Hey What? ⌟

tiddlywinks n • current • a competitive partnership game in which the objective is to gain an advantage over opponents by squopping opponent winks and by squidging friendly winks into a pot.

note • Tiddlywinks is the preferred modern spelling of the game. The earliest known use of this spelling is 1890.

• 15 January 1890 • Bristol Mercury (Bristol, England; page 6, column 4) • ⌞The game of “Tiddlywinks” proved very amusing, and “Lotto” was a great favorite.⌟
• 18 January 1890 • Bristol Mercury and Daily Post (Bristol, England; number 13006, page 2, column 5) • ⌞The game of ‘Tiddlywinks’ proved very amusing, and ‘Lotto’ was a great favorite.⌟
• August 1894 • Contemporary Review (page 246) • ⌞for when school was done and work over the children gathered in the brilliantly lit, hot-pipe-heated rooms and played draughts, bagatelle, lotto, or tiddly-winks.⌟
• September 1926 • Bookman (page 90) • ⌞The great realist plays an amusing game of tiddlywinks in the north woods.⌟
• 21 March 1946 • Christian Science Monitor (page 22) • ⌞A Reuters dispatch from Oxford reports that Cambridge University lowered Oxford’s colors in the first tiddlywinks contests between the two seats of learning by seven games to one.⌟
• 31 January 1956 • Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana USA; page 8, column 5) • ⌞“This is not chess,” he declares. It is tiddlywinks played for morons and neutralists[“]⌟
• 10 December 1956 • The Times (London, England; page 1, column 2) • ⌞CHAMPION TIDDLYWINKS player urgently required for remunerative position. Preferably also good golfer but this is not essential. Telephone Gro. 6363 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to-day and ask for Flat 55. J. B. Powell-Jones.⌟
• 3 August 2007 • Congressional Record (Washington, D.C. USA; volume 153, number 127, page H9666, column 2) • ⌞All we are doing down here is playing tiddlywinks with national security.⌟

tidleywinks n (ETwA) • historical = tiddlywinks • the predominant spelling used for retail games of tiddlywinks in England from the 1930s to the early 1950s.

dates used includes • Used in England from the 1930s to 1950s.

tie n • current • a game score of 3½ to 3½ in the official game of tiddlywinks.

time-limit n • current • the duration of time permitted for the play of the game prior to the play of five additional rounds.

note • The time limit in the official Rules of Tiddlywinks is now 25 minutes for games with pairs, 20 minutes for games with singles, and 22.5 minutes for a pair playing against a single winker.

• February 1961 • Winking World (number 1) • ⌞All the other rules to remain as at present except that a player should not miss a turn when his wink goes off the mat; and that when a time-limit has been applied, each wink in the pot should count three marks instead of the present two.⌟
• March 1967 • Winking World (number 11, page 4, column 1) • ⌞Quite a lot of Surrey winks were potted, although nobody tried serious for a pot-out, and only one game finished before the time limit.⌟
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 18) • ⌞[In 1960] At club meetings, there was no time limit, and all games were played to a finish.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)
• Spring 1997 • Winking World (number 68, page 19) • ⌞In the year 1960-1961, the time limit, already provided for in the rules, began to be introduced more generally. The Varsity match of 1961 was played to a 35 minute time limit.⌟ — by Charles Relle (ETwA)

time-limit point n • deprecated = tiddly • an earlier term for what is now called a tiddly.

TKOs n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team that first played in the 1974 Westerns (November), replacing Hyth.

abbreviation for • The Knowledgeable Ones

TNT n • historical • the name of a club formed from contributors to the MIT student newspaper, The Tech, in Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.

abbreviation for • Tech Newspaper Tiddlywinkers

dates used includes • 1962

• 20 November 1962 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; volume 82, number 23, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Attesting to the popularity of this new intercollegiate sport, MIT now boasts a second team—the Tech Newspaper Tiddlywinkers—formed this week byThe Tech.⌟ — by Toby Zidle (MIT)

TO n (ETwA) • current = TD

abbreviation for • Tournament Organizer

Toads n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team that was also known as Chrome Toads and Xenopus.

total vt (ETwA) • current • a shot resulting in a wink covering the entire surface of a squopped wink.

toucher n • nascent • a wink touching the pot.

dates used includes • 2014

etymology • Coined by ETwA winker Patrick Driscoll at a NATwA tournament in 2014.

Tournament Director n (NATwA) • current = Tournament Organiser • a winker responsible for establishing the format and conduct of a tournament.

abbreviated as • TD

Tournament Organiser n (ETwA) • current = Tournament Director

abbreviated as • TO

triple n • current = tripleton • a pile in which three winks are squopped by one wink.

triple crown n (NATwA) • historical • the achievement of first place in the NATwA Continentals (team championships), Singles, and Pairs in the same competition year.

etymology • Derived from the term triple crown as used in other sports, e.g., winning the three major U.S. horseracing championships (Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby)

• 12 May 1978 • Newswink (number 8) • ⌞In the Long Time No See Department, Bill “Cannonball” Renke played his first tournament game without a partner since winning the triple crown in 1973, due to his team having only five warm bodies capable of holding a squidger.⌟

triples n • current • a variant version of tiddlywinks played with six colors and six players, with three players playing in partnership against the other three.

web link • Rules online in the publication, Alleghany Airlines Book Club Presents.

tripleton n (ETwA) • current = triple

Trix n (NATwA) • historical • a brand of breakfast cereal produced by General Mills Inc. that included a tiddlywinks game premium in some of its boxes.

dates used includes • The tiddlywinks premium was included in boxes of Trix cereal in 1962.

note • NATwA winker Severin Drix started playing tiddlywinks with a tiddlywinks set from a Trix cereal box.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 5) • ⌞He [Severin Drix] knew no other winkers, had no official sets (the first equipment Cornell started with was a Trix cereal set and a scarf!)⌟ — by Severin Drix (NATwA)

trundle n (NATwA) • obsolete = gromp

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 1) • ⌞gromp • to move a pile as a whole onto another wink or pile. Also v.i. and n. Also trundle—an Ottawaism.⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

tub n (NATwA) • deprecated = pot

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Each time a wink covers another player’s wink, the covering player gets an extra turn to uncover and the first player to get all his winks into the tub wins.⌟

tuck vi, vt • current • to shoot an unsquopping (free) wink a very short distance to be closer to a pile it is protecting.

Tucker Two-Turn n (NATwA) • now obscure • a variation on partnership play in which two (or more) players play the two colors of a partnership, but one player plays the turns for both colors consecutively, and then the other player does; partnership play continues in this fashion.

note • Invented by NATwA winker Rick Tucker in Ithaca, New York, circa 1977.

• 5 July 1978 • Written Word • ⌞(The newest craze) how Chickens get five people Into a game; a persimmon and a Tucker Two-Turn.⌟ — by Joe Sachs (NATwA)

turn n • current • one shot, or a sequence of shots, made by the player of a color, where each shot after the first one is an extra shot resulting from a wink of that color being potted on a previous shot. Compare to free turn, shot¹.

turnover n (ETwA) = flip

Tw or tw n • current

abbreviation for • tiddlywinks

• 19 February 1971 • Newswink (number 4, page 12, column 1) • ⌞Future events in North American Tw circles will be the Pairs Tournament to be held in Ottawa the first weekend of May, and of course the Regional playdowns later on in the year.⌟ — by Byron Alexandroff (University of Toronto; Secretary-General, NATwA)

two-minute rule n • a rule enacted in the 1980s, but rarely enforced and later dropped from the rules, in which a partnership has only 2 minutes to play a shot in rounds, after which time the shot is forfeited.

two-ply adj • historical • said of a tiddlywinks mat made of two plies of felt, one light gray, one off-white, available from the early 1960s to 1973.

U

ULU vi, vt (ETwA) • current = sub, autosquop Also n.

abbreviation for • University of London Union

etymology • University of London Union winkers had a tendency to sub their winks.

• December 1977 • Verbatim (page 4, column 2) • ⌞sub or submarine v.t. or v.i. To shoot a wink (usually one's own) under another. In England called an autosquop of ULU. (The latter, pronounced YOO-loo, is said to refer to an unfortunate habit of the University of London Union team.)⌟ — by Philip Michael Cohen

umpire n (ETwA) • current = judge • a person who determines whether or not a wink identified by one of the winkers in the game is squopped.

unlucky interjection (ETwA) • current • a friendly proclamation by a fellow winker that a shot did not achieve intended results and instead was advantageous to the opponent side.

unsquopped adj • current • a wink that is not squopped; it may be a free wink or it may be an unplayed wink behind the baseline.

unsupported mat n • current • a portion of the playing surface that is not over, and is therefore not supported by, a table.

• February 1990 • Winking World (number 54) • ⌞Acceptance of the American ruling that winks resting on unsupported mat over the edge of an under-sized table should not be penalised by the forfeiture of a shot.⌟ — by Jon Mapley (ETwA)

unwinked adj • uncommon • not knowledgeable about the game of tiddlywinks.

• 9 October 2004 • ETwA email list • ⌞From a publicity point of view, either format is understandable to the great unwinked public.⌟ — by Charles Relle

up n • current = free • said of winks that are unsquopped and in play.

V

Varsity Match n (ETwA) • current • a tiddlywinks match between teams from Cambridge University and Oxford University.

Visine shot n (NATwA) • current • a shot that results in a red wink being squopped.

etymology • From Visine, an eye care product, which advertised that it “gets the red out”.

W

Walmsleys n (ETwA) • historical • a British supplier of winks and squidgers until the 1980s.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11, page 9, column 1) • ⌞NATwA’s mass purchase a few years ago of unselected winks from Walmsleys in London brought us some of the worst winks ever seen, and a particular defect appears on many of them - scratchy sections of tiny chips caused perhaps by being cut off of rods when too cool.⌟ — by Rick Tucker (NATwA)

warp n • current • a property of some older (Marchant/Ilkeston Toys/Walmsleys) winks in which one part of the wink had more concavity than the rest of the wink. Compare to concave up.

WARTS • historical • the name of a team from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

• 20 November 1962 • The Tech (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA; volume 82, number 23, page 2, column 1) • ⌞Plans for the Simmons' team, in addition to a rematch with the MUTS, include matches with Newton College of the Sacred Heart, the Wellesley WARTS and the Smith SLUTS.⌟ — by Toby Zidle (MIT)

waste vt, vi (ETwA) • current = lose, boondock

Wessex Trophy or Wessex Cup n (ETwA) • competition inaugurated in 1988 for two large, amorphous teams chosen on the morning of the tournament from amongst those present; held in London.

dates used includes • 1988

Western Regionals n (NATwA) • historical • an annual NATwA teams tournament that was typically held in November at either Cornell or in Toronto.

dates used includes • 1970 to 1980.

• 16 February 1970 • The Cornell Daily Sun (Ithaca, New York USA; page 7, column 3) • ⌞In the Western Regionals, also played Saturday at Noyes Center, Cornell brushed past the University of Toronto, Carleton University (of Ottowa [sic: Ottawa] and Case-Western Reserve with relative ease.⌟ — by Phil Benedict
• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞The first Western Regionals were held at Cornell University the weekend of Nov. 21-22 [1970].⌟
• 25 November 1974 • Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York USA; page 3, column 2) • ⌞Now it may seem curious that these four schools competed in the "Western" Regionals, but Cornell captain Dave Barbano had a simple explanation. "Everything west of Boston in the world of winks is West."⌟ — by Ray Raub

WETS n (ETwA) • historical • the name of a club tiddlywinks team in England.

abbreviation for • Wessex Exiles Tiddlywinks Society

wiggle vt (NATwA) • current • to make a miniscule adjustment to a wink on a pile.

Willard Straight n (NATwA) • historical = Straight

Willis n (ETwA) • historical • the first ETwA Secretary-General.

web link • article

wink¹ n • a disk played in the game of tiddlywinks.

• 1955 • The Science of Tiddlywinks (Cambridge University; volume Appendix B, page 30) • ⌞The aim of the game is to sink all one’s winks first using a large counter as squidger (precise size of the squidger is optional)⌟ (This report is also known as The Thesis)

wink² vi • to play the game of tiddlywinks.

winkathon n • uncommon • a long-lasting winks game or event.

etymology • The composition of the word "wink" with "athon" (as in "marathon").

• 10 March 1967 • Columbia Daily Spectator (New York, New York USA; volume 111, number 81, page 4, column 2) • ⌞This winter, while the College community grubbed in dormitory rooms, The Tiddlywinks Team groomed itself for its first winkathon. ⌟ — by Lois Prager
• April 1970 • Cornell Countryman (Ithaca, New York USA; page 4, column 1) • ⌞Flipping wink after wink in the gruelling 16-hour winkathon, the dexterous Somerville team emerged triumphant from the tables in a 43-20 thumbs down victory over Cornell.⌟ — by Olive Schad

winkdom n • current • the sphere of tiddlywinks activity in in an area, or more generally, the world.

• August 1974 • The Missing Wink (number 2, page 8, column 1) • ⌞The MIT trip to England generated publicity and increased our relations with English winkdom. ⌟
• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 3) • ⌞Has winkdom become a felt jungle where jackals with sharp squidgers pounce on weekend squoppers to pad their egos and averages?⌟

winked out adj (NATwA) • current • fatigued due to playing tiddlywinks.

winkend n • current • a weekend of tiddlywinks play

• 10 April 1980 • Ithaca Times (Ithaca, New York USA; page 13, column 1) • ⌞World Match This Winkend⌟ — by S. K. List

winker n • current • a tiddlywinks player.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 1) • ⌞Will you always be a winker?⌟

winkfield n (ETwA) • obsolete • the range of influence of the location of a particular wink in a game

• March 1964 • Winking World (number 5, page 5) • ⌞Winkfield · The range of effective influence of a wink; the wink’s ‘field of force’.⌟

winking² adv (NATwA) • uncommon • a letter closing that expresses warmth from a winker.

• 26 December 2004 • NATwA email list • ⌞Winking, Dave⌟ — by Dave Lockwood

winking¹ adj • playing tiddlywinks.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 2) • ⌞Do you expect to be winking in 5 years?⌟

Winking World n (ETwA) • current • the official publication of the English Tiddlywinks Association.

abbreviated as • WW

dates used includes • Published since February 1961.

web link • Online editions

Winkly Reader n (NATwA) • historical = My Winkly Reader

web link • Online editions.

winkmen or winkers n (ETwA) • obsolete • Multiple male winkers.

dates used includes • 1963

• January 1963 • London Tiddlywinks Bulletin (London, England, UK; number 2, page 1, column 1) • ⌞When the team reaohed the bar at ULU the Marchant Trophy was filled with best bitter and the assembled winkmen drank ceremonially from the flowing Cup.⌟ — by Guy Consterdine

winks¹ n = tiddlywinks • the game of tiddlywinks.

• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞We agree the name should be changed to Winks as that is how it has been referred to here for many years.⌟ — by Phil Villar (NATwA)

winks² n • plural of wink¹.

• July-September 1893 • Exhibit of the Games in the Columbian Exhibition (page 209) • ⌞The comparatively new game “Tiddledy winks” follows, leading up to a recent German game called the “Newest War Game”, in which the men or “winks” are played upon a board upon which are represented two opposing fortresses.⌟ — by Stewart Culin

Winks Club Mats n (CUTwC) • current • anthem of CUTwC, sung to the tune of the Red Flag.

web link • Lyrics online.

Winks Rampant³ n (ETwA) • historical • a 1972 report by Guy Consterdine describing the development of modern tiddlywinks in England from 1957 to 1958.

web link • Online edition.

winks rampant¹ n (ETwA) • the state of the game of tiddlywinks when it is flourishing in popularity.

winks rampant² n (ETwA) • a design depicting an array of winks.

• 3 March 1958 • The Times (London, England; page 7, column 4) • ⌞The Cambridge players wore dinner jackets and ties embroidered with a tiddlywink rampant.⌟
• 10 May 1958 • Manchester Guardian (Manchester, England; page 1, column 4) • ⌞Cambridge came along sporting their club ties—light-blue cup with winks rampant on a dark blue background.⌟

winksmanship¹ or winkmanship n • the craft of playing tiddlywinks well. Compare to winksmanship².

• April 1969 • Newswink (number 1) • ⌞There were some tense and exciting matches, but the superior winkmanship of the MIT ‘A’ team enabled them to take the trophy for the second year in succession.⌟

winksmanship² • techniques of unsportsmanlike gamesmanship used to garner an advantage in a game. Compare to winksmanship¹.

winkwise adj • now rare • pertaining to winks.

• October 1963 • Winking World (number 4, page 8) • ⌞So much was happening winkwise that for the crowded 1960s the chronicler can select for discussion only a few of the outstanding tiddly events.⌟

winx n • uncommon = winks¹

etymology • Variant spelling of winks, popularized by Canadian winkers of NATwA in 1978 but also appearing earlier.

• February 1977 • My Winkly Reader (page 1) • ⌞This was the summer when the trend of returning to the ancestral homeland began in the winx world.⌟
• 14 January 2010 • ETwA email list • ⌞Would anyone be interested in a game of winx in Maidstone on Saturday?⌟ — by Charles Relle

WITS n • historical • the name of a Simmons College tiddlywinks club in Boston, Massachusetts USA.

abbreviation for • Women's Intermediate Tiddlywinks Society

dates used includes • 1962

World Masters n • current • a match restricted to winkers who have won a World Singles championship match.

World Pairs n • current • a world championship match for pairs players in which the current world champion (or a national Pairs winner) is challenged by a national Pairs winner. The match is won by scoring the most match points in seven games.

abbreviated as • WP

dates used includes • Competed since 1978.

web link • Match results

World Singles n • current • a world championship match for singles players in which the current world champion is challenged by a national Singles champion. The match is won by scoring the most match points in seven games.

abbreviated as • WS

dates used includes • Competed since 1973.

web link • Match results

World Teams n • current • a world championship match for teams representing national tiddlywinks associations.

WOY n (NATwA) • now obscure

abbreviation for • Winker of the Year

WP n • current

abbreviation for • World Pairs

Written Word n (NATwA) • historical • a tiddlywinks publication edited by NATwA winker Joe Sachs.

dates used includes • Published in July 1978.

etymology • Named in contrast to +1-617-SPOKENW (Spoken Word), the telephone number used at the residence of Joe Sachs and Charles Frankston in Somerville, Massachusetts.

web link • Online edition.

WS n • current

abbreviation for • World Singles

WW n • current

abbreviation for • Winking World

X

xylophone shot n (ETwA) • now obscure • a shot, usually illegal, in which the squidger is dragged across three or more winks that form a linear squop.

• 2 August 1980 • Newswink (number 11) • ⌞A really long desquop shot was known as a xylophone shot.⌟ — by Charles Relle
• 1 July 1981 • Newswink (number 13, page 1) • ⌞Cambridge saw the xylophone shot as a partial counter to the menace of double squop, whereas Oxford’s view was that in a pile you could play your own top wink and no other.⌟ — by Charles Relle
• October 1987 • Winking World (number 50, page 14)

Y

Yvonne F. Lukey Award n (NATwA) • historical • a mythical NATwA award.

• April 1970 • Newswink (number 2) • ⌞We are contemplating presenting a trophy to NATwA to be known hereafter as the Yvonne F. Lukey Memorial Trophy.⌟
• April 1971 • Newswink (number 4) • ⌞Every year, the Mythical Yvonne F. Lukey Memorial Award is given to the player who succeeds in making the most improbable shot of the Continentals tournament.⌟

Z

zero¹ n • current • the set of turns (the zeroeth round) occurring after the time limit for a game has been reached and before the first round of five rounds begins with the squidge-off winner’s color. Also zeroeth adj.

• February 1972 • Newswink (number 5) • ⌞The turning point of the match occur[r]ed in the 0th round when branch leaders from Philly and Boston met and held a trade.⌟

zero² n • current • the score awarded to the losing side in a pot-out when the winning side has potted out both colors before either of the opponents. Also zeroed vi.

• 20 March 1993 • alt.games.tiddlywinks newsgroup • ⌞At one point I went almost 10 years without getting zeroed in a tournament game, but over the last few years I seem to have gotten a few more 0's than I would have liked.⌟ — by Larry Kahn

zeropleton n • obscure • a wink in play that is neither squopping nor squopped.

Zoo n (NATwA) • historical • the name of a NATwA team originating in MIT’s MacGregor Hall dormitory in its B-Entry living group, and later becoming the team named Relix.

dates used includes • The Zoo team first played in the 21 October 1972 Halloween Open Teams Tournament.